Non-destructive wireless monitoring of early-age concrete strength gain using an innovative electromechanical impedance sensing systemNon-destructive wireless monitoring of early-age concrete strength gain using an innovative electromechanical impedance sensing system Peer-Reviewed Journal Publication Δημοσίευση σε Περιοδικό με Κριτές 2015-10-182013enMonitoring the concrete early-age strength gain at any arbitrary time from a few minutes to a few hours after mixing is crucial for operations such as removal of frameworks, prestress, or cracking control.This paper presents the development and evaluation of a potential active wireless USB sensing tool that consists of a miniaturized electromechanical impedance measuring chip and a reusable piezoelectric transducer appropriately installed in a Teflon-based enclosure tomonitor the concrete strength development at early ages and initial hydration states. In this study, the changes of the measured electromechanical impedance signatures as obtained by using the proposed sensing system during the whole early-age concrete hydration process are experimentally investigated. It is found that the proposed electromechanical impedance (EMI) sensing system associated with a properly defined statistical indexwhich evaluates the rate of concrete strength development is very sensitive to the strength gain of concrete structures from their earliest stages.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Smart Materials Research2013 Providakis Konstantinos Προβιδακης Κωνσταντινος Liarakos Evaggelos Λιαρακος Ευαγγελος E. Kampaniakis Hindawi Publishing Corporation Building damage prevention Building protection Buildings--Damage prevention Protection of buildings buildings protection building damage prevention building protection buildings damage prevention protection of buildings