Sensors for determining the durability of reinforced concrete constructions

Abstract

The durability of reinforced concrete structures is severely affected by corrosion. This phenomenon entails high economic costs due to the large infrastructure built with this material in developed countries, both roads and buildings. This review shows and discusses different techniques now available for monitoring and controlling reinforced concrete structures by means of sensors. These sensors are sophisticated devices that provide information about the factors inducing the processes of corrosion, and they are very useful for predicting the service life of structures and optimizing the repair strategies. This work analyses different sensor systems and compares their applications, taking into account such factors as location, calibration and evaluation data. Finally, some examples of sensor applications and diverse strategies for developing new sensor systems in the near future are presented.