This project aims at exploring, researching and developing a novel embeddable, long-life time, ultra-low power, high resolution sensing principle for structural health monitoring (SHM) in mainly reinforced concrete (RC). The objective of the sensor is to output the corrosion rate wirelessly to a remote device e.g. a computer, where the data is available for the owners of the structure.

The service life of structures and can create serious safety hazards, with fatal consequence, as in the recent tragic event in Genoa. Corrosion can be minimized and mitigated with a careful design in the manufacturing process. However, in recent years, due to the rapid climate changes, the deterioration processes have been accelerated, which makes it difficult for the corrosion engineers to estimate the service life of structures. In the absence of adequate corrosion rate information, overdesign is required to ensure reasonable service life, resulting in wasted resources. In corrosion measurements, today, only very indicative and error-prone sensors exist, that are based on technology developed half a century ago with slow processing, high power usage and large form factor. They are therefore not an attractive commodity for owners to implement. Thus, this project will challenge this status quo.

In this research project new design methods, for the development of new types of wireless sensor network to assess the corrosion performance in reinforced concrete is made. The embedded sensors must be able to withstand the harsh and inhospitable environment of concrete and have long life-time. This will happen, through low-power design of the electronics and utilizing energy-harvesting from omnipresent sources, such as the corrosion process itself.