Water infiltration detection in civil engineering structures using RFID

In this paper, a new typology for sensor networks embedded in concrete structures based on customised passive RFID technology is presented. This passive sensor network is used for detection of concrete water infiltrations with the use of a single external transmitter and without limited lifespan associated to active sensor networks. The paper presents the potentiality of this method to detect changes in the concrete water content via simulations. A set of preliminary experimental tests on moist sand and concrete are performed to show how this could be done with conventional RFID sensors and MST based probes (customised RFIDs).