Microwire-based Sensor Array for Measuring Wheel loads of Vehicles

J. Olivera, S. Aparicio, M. G. Hernández, A. Zhukov, R. Varga, M. Campusano, E. Echavarria, and J. J. Anaya Velayos
Sensors 19 (21)4658, 2019. (Q1 en 2018)

In this paper, a magnetic microwire-based sensor array embedded under the pavement is proposed as a weighing system at customs ports of entry. This sensor is made of a cementitious material suitable for embedding within the core of concrete structures prior to curing. The objective of this research is to verify the feasibility of stress monitoring for concrete materials using an array of cement-based stress/strain sensors that have been developed using the magnetic sensing property of an embedded microwire in a cement-based composite. Test results for microwire-based sensors and gauge sensors are compared. The strain sensitivity and their linearity are investigated through experimental testing under compressive loadings. Sensors made of these materials can be designed to satisfy specific needs and reduce costs in the production of sensor aggregates with improved coupling performance, thus avoiding any disturbance to the stress state.

Funding

This research was funded by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the Dominican Republic (2015 FONDOCyT program) and Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) of Spain under projects Call Retos-Colaboración 2015 [RTC-2015-3185-4 (MAPMIT)] and Call Retos Investigación [BIA2016-77992-R (AEI/FEDER, UE)]. Both projects were co-funded by the European Union through FEDER funds under the objective of promoting the technological development, innovation, and high-quality research. CSIC supported this project under Call ICOOP 2017 [COOPB20293]. This work was also supported by Spanish MCIU under PGC2018-099530-B-C31 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and by the Government of the Basque Country under PIBA 2018-44 and Elkartek (RTM 4.0) projects and by the University of Basque Country under the scheme of “Ayuda a Grupos Consolidados” (Ref.: GIU18/192).