Introduction

However, if a reliable indication of the strength of concrete in-situ could be obtained, much faster cycle times can be achieved by early removal of form without compromising the safety of the structure.

Curing of concrete is an exothermic process which is affected by temperature with direct consequences for the final strength gained. Accurately measuring the temperature of concrete during curing process enables us to calculate the concrete strength which can lead to significant cost and time advantages for the project.

The right approach is necessary for the right outcome. Consulting WP approaches work by applying its external knowledge to your organization’s internal way of doing work. We know that in order to maximize the potential of success for your company we need to shape our expert advice in a way that applies to your way of doing business. This allows us to create rich relationships with our clients.

Concrete Maturity Method

The Concrete Maturity Method states that the product of average concrete curing temperature and the concrete strength remains constant and is directly proportional to strength.

∫▒〖Tdt∝Strength¬〗, where T is the temperature above freezing point of water and dt is time.

In simple terms, a concrete cured at 250 C will take approximately twice as long to achieve the desired strength compared to concrete cured at 500 C. In concrete maturity method, the core temperature of concrete is measured at short intervals and the temperature-maturity is corelated with the test blocks whose temperature-maturity profile is known. This corelation gives the estimated in-situ strength of the concrete.

The method of strength estimation is prescribed by ASTM C1074 standard and fits the necessary Indian standard requirements.

Monitoring Concrete Curing in Real Time

With the help of TruTemp IoT enabled data loggers and TruMonitor cloud system it is possible to monitor the curing of Concrete in real time. TruMonitor consists of IoT enabled devices to which sensors are connected. The devices upload the readings to the server via mobile network or via Bluetooth and a specially developed mobile app.

The TruTemp data loggers consist of main IoT unit and cheap sacrificial sensors. Before pouring the concrete, the sensors are simply tied to the rebar and then the concrete is poured as usual. The units are turned on and they will start uploading data automatically to the Cloud Server. The temperature profile of the concrete is used to determine the strength gained by the concrete. At the end, the cables are simply cut, and new sensors can be connected to the same device.

Monitoring Concrete Curing in Real Time

With the help of TruTemp IoT enabled data loggers and TruMonitor cloud system it is possible to monitor the curing of Concrete in real time. TruMonitor consists of IoT enabled devices to which sensors are connected. The devices upload the readings to the server via mobile network or via Bluetooth and a specially developed mobile app.

The TruTemp data loggers consist of main IoT unit and cheap sacrificial sensors. Before pouring the concrete, the sensors are simply tied to the rebar and then the concrete is poured as usual. The units are turned on and they will start uploading data automatically to the Cloud Server. The temperature profile of the concrete is used to determine the strength gained by the concrete. At the end, the cables are simply cut, and new sensors can be connected to the same device.

Advantages

  • Concrete Maturity Method gives good estimate of the concrete in-situ strength and allows early removal of formwork. By knowing exactly when to remove the formwork, cycle time can be reduced.
  • If the core temperature is too high, it may promote formation of ettringite which can show high strength initially but lead to cracks later. In such cases ice water can be used for mitigation based on real time temperature readings.
  • If the core temperature falls too low, the chemical reactions slow down considerably. In such cases heating coils can be used to maintain higher temperatures.

Softwise Mechatronics handled development of one of our sensor products efficiently. They designed high quality product as per our requirement and handled multiple issues common in sensor application. We were truly impressed with the professional approach in execution the project.

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Satyajit Badawe
DirectorDirector, Badawe Engineers Pvt. Ltd.

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