A Durable, Screen-Printed Sensor for In Situ and Real-Time Monitoring of Concrete's Electrical Resistivity Suitable for Smart Buildings/Cities and IoT

This article shows initial experimental results on the utilization of a durable, low-cost, screen-printed resistivity sensor in concrete for real-time measurements, with the aim of correlating concrete's electrical resistivity with moisture content. The sensor was tested in two different concrete mixtures, i. e., one with highly-absorptive aggregates (5.1%) and one with low-absorptive aggregates (1.0%), in order to investigate two dissimilar drying rates. Initial experimental results show a significant correlation of the sensor's response and the electrical resistivity of concrete, with the sensor being capable of distinguishing between different concrete types by their different drying rates. The sensor recorded very similar resistivity rates as those found in the literature for low-absorptive and highly-absorptive aggregate concrete mixtures, respectively. This sensor features superior lifetime due to the impressive wear resistance of the alumina substrate. The sensor has the ability to be easily integrated in a structure management system employed within smart buildings and smart cities. Existing correlations of concrete resistivity with water content can provide vital information regarding key properties of concrete whose monitoring may contribute to more durable structures by the implementation of preventative maintenance rather than reactive maintenance.