Construction and Concrete Monitoring with MultiTech

LoRaWan® Solutions Create Connected Construction Sites and Evaluate Building Materials

Construction and Building Material Monitoring with MultiTech Conduit

An organization based in the Great Lakes region is a leading consulting engineering firm tasked with monitoring the temperatures of different construction materials. Their work helps construction companies with their current projects as they determine why a material might have failed, but they also help improve existing products and may recommend different materials for alternative uses.

As technology advances and the climate changes, the entire building and construction process, in general, must evolve. Creating the most robust building materials, including concrete, requires monitoring several key factors that can affect the curing process, such as temperature, strength, relative humidity, and evaporation rate.

Challenge | Monitoring Building Materials and Concrete Curing Remotely And Precisely

Since so many factors can affect the cure rate of concrete, monitoring it as it dries can be incredibly challenging. The thickness of the concrete — and impenetrability in its hardened form — makes it difficult for sensors to transmit signal data. Similarly, as the concrete hardens, sensors become difficult to retrieve, and attempting to disturb or displace the concrete can and often affects measurements.

The organization also faces challenges monitoring temperatures of the building materials they're testing in their facility since they must maintain strict climate conditions in their lab's specialized pH solution tanks.

Recognizing the need for a reliable monitoring solution, especially for tank temperature control, the company explored the potential of an industrial IoT remote monitoring system.

Solution | MultiTech Conduit Allows for Scalable Sensor Data Transmission

The organization chose the LoRaWAN protocol for its wireless communication needs due to its resilience in "noisy" RF environments and its robust security features. To complement this choice, MultiTech Reveal industrial LoRaWAN wireless sensors were selected since they're compatible with LoRa and easily integrate with various devices. They also come with an optional web-based console for easy provisioning, monitoring, and configuring the sensors in the field.

The MultiTech Conduit® AP Access Point for LoRa technology was selected for the gateway. Its rugged yet compact form made it the ideal choice for extending LoRa connectivity, particularly in challenging indoor environments.

Construction and Building Material Monitoring with MultiTech Conduit

Multi-point sensors are deployed throughout concrete slabs to constantly monitor every key variable - specifically the temperature differential - and send data via wireless technology to cellphones and tablets used by the construction crew. By monitoring these variables and then using software to analyze and convert the measurements, the construction crew can gather information about the maturity and strength of the concrete.

In the lab, the sensors are equipped with specialized probes to monitor solution temperatures and other metrics in the pH-solution tanks, which are located both indoors and outdoors. They provide real-time feedback to the teams evaluating the materials so that they are aware of the most minute condition changes and can report accurately on their findings.

Results | High Data Visibility and Connectivity Create The Perfect Climate

By developing the sensors with MultiTech Conduit, each gateway can manage thousands of Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LoRaWAN) compliant devices and transmit their data over any cellular network. This, in turn, has created an easy-to-use solution that allows for remote data collection and transmission, an uninterrupted flow of data, recoverability and re-usability of the hardware, and operation in conditions where large temperature changes and the elements may be present.

Recommended Devices for Scalable Sensor Data Management

MultiTech Conduit®

MultiTech LoRa Sensors

MultiTech Conduit® AP Access Point

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