Internet of Things (IoT) for digital concrete quality control (DCQC): A conceptual framework

Abstract

Concreting is generally a manual, labour intensive and time-consuming process, putting additional burden on constrained resources. Current practices of concreting are wasteful, non-sustainable and end products usually lack proper quality conformance. This paper, as the first outcome of an ongoing research project, proposes concrete as an area ripe for being disrupted by new technological developments and the wave of automation. It puts forward arguments to show that The Internet of Things (IoT), as an emerging concept, has the potential to revolutionize concreting operations, resulting in substantial time savings, confidence in its durability and enhanced quality conformance. A conceptual framework for a digital concrete quality control (DCQC) drawing upon IoT is outlined; DCQC facilitates automated lifecycle monitoring of concrete, controlled by real-time monitoring of parameters like surface humidity, temperature variance, moisture content, vibration level, and crack occurrence and propagation of concrete members through embedded sensors. Drawing upon an analytical approach, discussions provide evidence for the advantages of adopting DCQC. The proposed system is of particular appeal for practitioners, as a workable solution for reducing water, energy consumption and required man-hours for concreting procedures, as well as, providing an interface for access to real-time data, site progress monitoring, benchmarking, and predictive analytics purposes.