Wireless monitoring of a structural beam to be used for post-earthquake damage assessment

Wireless monitoring of a standard reinforced concrete beam is shown in a simply supported beam experiment. The passive nested split-ring resonator (NSRR) probes are attached on the reinforcing bars (rebars) within the beam, and an antenna interrogates the probes from outside the beam. The results of the experiment show that the plastic deformation region strain/displacement can be detected by the wireless sensing system. The data collected by the system constitutes an important input for the assessment of the damage that can be observed after earthquakes.