ESR15. Nanotechnologies for self-sensing & self-inspecting Smart Urban Pavements (NanoSUP)

Objectives:

To develop novel strain-sensing cement concretes and asphalt concretes doped with conductive nano- and/or micro-inclusions that provide measurable electrical outputs under application of mechanical inputs, such as traffic load.

• Task 15.1: mix design for novel strain-sensing concretes (cement and bitumen bound mixtures) doped with suitable conductive nano- and/or micro-inclusions (e.g. carbon black, carbon nanotubes, superfine stainless steel fibres, etc.).
• Task 15.2: manufacture smart pavement sections made of strain-sensing materials with self-sensing & inspecting capabilities.
• Task 15.3: define and test appropriate measurement procedures for application to the smart sections able to: (1) sense vertical loads for smart management of traffic, (2) perform weigh-in-motion of vehicles, (3) yield measurable electrical outputs proportional to strains at the base of the smart layer to assess pavement conditions (cracking, deformations, displacements).

Expected Results:

• Full characterization of smart self-sensing and self-inspecting nanocomposite concretes.
• Hardware and software solutions able to use signals provided by the smart materials.
• Development of smart urban pavement sections to manage traffic, automatic systems and evaluation of damage in pavements using smart layer outputs.

Host Institutions:

University of Perugia

Supervisors:

F. Ubertini (UNIPG) (Perugia, ITALY)

S. Laflamme (ISU) (Ames, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

M. Favaro (CORE) (Terni, ITALY)