"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."
This project aims to explore a new approach of civil structure health monitoring by making the concrete pavement itself as an installed detector. The electrical network of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be utilized to detect concrete cracking; the piezoresitive properties of carbon nanotubes enable the composite to detect mechanical stress. Meanwhile, CNTs can also work as the reinforcement elements to improve the strength and toughness of the concrete pavement, especially for cold weather conditions. Key research activities of this project include: a) Investigate appropriate fabrication methods for carbon-nanotube/cement composites; b) Study the nanotube/cement interfaces and their effects on composite properties; c) Investigate the CNT electrical network for concrete cracking detection; d) Investigate the piezoresistive property of CNT/cement composite for stress sensing; e) Study the impacts of CNTs on concrete properties under severe weather condition.
The results of this project will benefit the society by exploring a new generation of structure material that has its own sensing capability, which will have the advantages of little maintenance and long service life. For the educational part, undergraduate students and underrepresented groups will be actively induced into this interdisciplinary research project. Infusion of the research results into classroom will enhance the curriculum of several undergraduate engineering programs in the University of Minnesota Duluth, including the Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and the undergraduate nano minor program that is under preparation. The project will also introduce nanotechnology, sensors, and transportation to high school students to excite their interests in science and engineering.
