INTERNET-CONNECTED SENSORS PROVIDE CONCRETE DAT

A former prototype method of testing concrete strength using internet-connected sensors and processing power has been commercially deployed on around 40 construction projects across the UK.

The innovative technology, developed by UK tech start-up Converge, is based around a transmitter node that communicates data from sensors embedded in concrete over a mesh network.

The results are interpreted in real-time using sophisticated data analytics software to give an accurate real-time picture of the curing process and when formwork is ready to be struck.

After initial trials with a major contractor in 2015 the system has been deployed on projects including Hinkley Point C, the £1.7bn Royal Albert Docks development, 22 Bishopsgate and several Underground maintenance projects for Transport for London.

Raphael Scheps, co-founder and chief executive of Converge, told BIM+: “A year and a half ago it was only a prototype that worked but had not been battle tested. Some 40 sites on and the main thing we have achieved is reliability, by extended the range significantly and adding redundancy at multiple layers of the network.

“Our customers are striking concrete on the basis of our data and if they haven’t got reliable data they can’t make the important decisions.”

At Royal Albert Docks, Converge installed sensors in the post-tensioned concrete floor slabs, working with contractor Brookfield Multiplex and its concrete subcontractor to alter concrete mix designs to even out curing times over the summer and winter.

“Ask any engineer on site and they would tell you that concrete cures slower in winter than in summer but if you asked them to estimate how much slower they would have to guess,” said Scheps. “Our accurate measurements enabled the project to achieve consistent floor cycle times and meet the overall target programme.”

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