Abstract
Novel coaxial cable sensors that feature high sensitivity and high spatial resolution are developed for health monitoring of concrete structures using a time-domain reflectometry (TDR). The new sensor was designed based on the topology change of its outer conductor, which was fabricated with tightly wrapped commercial tin-plated steel spiral covered with solder. The cracks that developed within concrete structures will lead to out-of-contact of local steel spirals. This topology change results in a large impedance discontinuity that can be measured with a TDR. A simplified equivalent transmission line model and numerical full-wave simulations using finite-difference time-domain techniques were used to optimize the sensor design. The sensors under test demonstrated high sensitivity and the capability of multiple-crack detection. A plasma-sprayed coating technique was employed to improve sensor uniformity. Engineering implementation issues, e.g., signal loss, signal postprocessing, and sensor design optimization, were also addressed.
Recommended Citation
S. Sun et al., "A Novel TDR-Based Coaxial Cable Sensor for Crack/Strain Sensing in Reinforced Concrete Structures," IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 58, no. 8, pp. 2714 - 2725, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Aug 2009.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1109/TIM.2009.2015706
Department(s)
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Second Department
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Coaxial Cable; Crack/Strain Sensor; Plasma Spray; Sensitivity; Signal Loss; Spatial Resolution; Time-Domain Reflectometry
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0018-9456
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2009 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Aug 2009
