Smart Concrete: Enhancing Durability and Structural Health Monitoring in Modern Infrastructure

• Author(s): Ricardo Chavez
• Paper ID: 1707121
• Page: 156-165
• Published Date: 31-07-2020
• Published In: Iconic Research And Engineering Journals
• Publisher: IRE Journals
• e-ISSN: 2456-8880
• Volume/Issue: Volume 4 Issue 1 July-2020

Abstract

Cracking, material fatigue, and environmental degradation result in traditional concrete deterioration, thus significantly affecting the modern infrastructure [D'Alessandro et al., 2022]. The recent challenges in demand for durable, self-sustaining construction materials have seen the emergence of smart concrete, which integrates technologically enhanced materials that are self- monitoring to aid in structural integrity, self-healing of micro-cracks and to enhance overall durability (Li et al., 2020). The paper addresses the basics of smart concrete, including composition, mechanisms, and applications in modern infrastructure. Smart Concrete integrates nanomaterials, fiber optics, and IOT sensors to engineer properties of self-sensing, self-healing, and in-built monitoring for better operation and permanence of the material (Wang et al., 2022). It reduces delamination, continued crack growth, and corrosion degradation; real-time damage assessment is made possible to track the state of the structure, consequently prolonging the span of use, reducing maintenance costs in the longer-term, and leading to sustainable relationships (Zhao et al., 2022). This study provides a review of the different self-healing techniques, which include bacteria-based healing agents and polymer microcapsules and discusses their effectiveness as structural repairants (Kianoush et al., 2018). Evaluation between traditional and smart concrete further presents a clear line of demarcation with planned results resulting in the material featuring 60% better crack resistance, 35% greater load- bearing capacity, and 40% structural maintenance cost reduction (Zhang et al., 2021). Integration of IoT-based SHM systems allows continuous, real-time data collection, predictive analytics, and early damage detection in the bridges, buildings, and highways, saving lives and greatly reducing catastrophic infrastructure failures (Sun et al., 2022). Albeit the inherent challenges in high initial costs, material compatibility problems, and the longevity of sensors that currently block the large-scale implementation (Deng et al., 2017), the present amount of research into advanced AI-enabled predictive maintenance and integration of green materials could facilitate the establishment of sustainable, cost-effective, and highly resilient infrastructure solutions (Bhavya et al., 2021). Maintenance of this construct by pursuing means of automated sensor diagnostics and scalable manufacturing would further impel the adoption of smart concrete as the norm in modern construction. This research highlights the importance of including smart materials in infrastructure projects as a means of increasing safety, longevity, and sustainability. By integrating real-time monitoring and self-healing, smart concrete has the potential to rewrite classic standards of construction; offer a mitigating crash pad to structural vulnerabilities and end the carbon footprint aroused by the mendingmanic process (Frith et al., 2023).

Keywords

Smart concrete, structural health monitoring, self-healing concrete, nanotechnology, IoT sensors, durability, predictive maintenance, corrosion resistance, infrastructure sustainability, AI-driven diagnostics

Citations

IRE Journals:
Ricardo Chavez "Smart Concrete: Enhancing Durability and Structural Health Monitoring in Modern Infrastructure" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 4 Issue 1 2020 Page 156-165

IEEE:
Ricardo Chavez "Smart Concrete: Enhancing Durability and Structural Health Monitoring in Modern Infrastructure" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 4(1)