MULTIFUNCTIONAL MATERIAL PROPERTIES-BASED SMART CONCRETE STRUCTURAL SELF-SENSING (MMP-SCSS) TECHNOLOGY

The purpose of the proposed SBIR project is to develop an innovative real-time smart concrete structural self-sensing and self-protection system/technique utilizing the material multifunctional characteristics (electrical and piezoresistive properties) of smart concrete structural material without using third-party embedded or attached sensors. The proposed system technology can be used for building occupancy assessment, security monitoring (intrusion detection), weight assessment on concrete foundation, electromagnetic interference (EMI) protection from potential electronic signal spying or terrorism, structural health monitoring (SHM) on military and commercial infrastructures. The proposed system/technology can be applied to military and commercial concrete infrastructures (military installation concrete facilities and bunkers, concrete buildings, bridges, highways and their interchanges, dams, tunnels, etc.) for several purposes. The system technology application is simple and performance-efficient, and technology implementation/maintenance is cost-effective. Furthermore, this innovation also allows the weighing of cars and trucks crossing the concrete paved highway at national and state borders, and the technology can be used for EMI shielding, as needed for the protection of electronic signal intelligence sensitive concrete structures (military bunkers and U.S. Embassies around the world) against electromagnetic forms of spying or terrorism.