Design and Development of Microwave based Non-destructive testing device for Structural Health Monitoring

Project Title

Design and Development of Microwave based Non-destructive testing device for Structural Health Monitoring

Project Area of Specialization Wearables and ImplantableProject Summary Design and Development of Microwave based Non-destructive testing device for Structural Health Monitoring of civil structures.

From the inception of time, man has built civil structures to live. Somehow, everyone wants to have peace and take rest at that place and this process is continued and it will remain till unknown. The major constructive materials were mud, steel, and wood. Before steel, man has used wood and mud for many areas of life and especially for construction and it was known as the strongest material but then with the change of time, they shifted to steel and the days have come to fiber-reinforced polymers and reinforced concrete.

The real problem is that buildings are constructed in a timely fashion that these are not tested in any way and people instantly shift in newly constructed buildings. They spend millions of rupees in construction, but they save a few thousands of rupees in testing and become at risk for the whole life. There are hundreds of examples where buildings are collapsed due to lack of monitoring or testing i.e. Building in Timber Market Karachi, a building in Ashford Middlesex, Mumbai, and Dhaka. According to the National Crime Reports Bureau (NCRB), an average of 7 people die per day in the collapse of structures including buildings between 2001 and 2015. These incidents were an eye-opener and we realized that there is not a single testing service in Pakistan by which people could test civil structures before the disaster. According to the Seismic network of the Met Department of Pakistan, there are 2/3 active fault lines in different areas of Pakistan and divide the whole country into nineteen zones. So, our goal is to make non-destructive testing (NDT) device for structural health monitoring.

There are many NDT techniques i.e stress wave, infrared thermography, radiography, and radar technique. These above technologies are ineffective due to very very limited access and high price. This project describes the applications of non-destructive testing techniques for civil structures, capacitive sensing. Capacitive sensing is used to find out the cracks of steel, fiber-reinforced polymer and concrete. This technique is modeled using two metal plates for the electric field distribution. This experimental method proofs that capacitive sensing is used to inspect cracks in steel, cracks on the surface of the fiber-reinforced polymer and sub-surfaces water and air voids in concrete structures.

The main goal of this project is to make a low cost and portable device for non-destructive testing of civil structure using Microwave based Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) technique and it addresses the UNDP SDG 9 & 11. This project will make sure the certainty of the life span, quality of the material or building and do quantitative analysis of the civil structure. The main purpose of this project is to reduce the mortality rate significantly by prediction of durability and life of the civil structure.

Project Objectives

We are living in a country where people earn for whole life and then become able to build home and live there but most of them do not reach that point and live their lives in apartments. Those apartments were built decades or centuries ago and no one talks about safety and inclusive concerns because they just need to cover themselves in a closed space i.e. recent collapse of a building in Timber Market Karachi. Back in 1987, that building was approved for the single storey due to the location and permit but people do not have more resources to accommodate themselves and they built five more stories and started living. Four months ago, the building was collapsed and we lost many lives. Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) took action and ask for an inquiry report. After a few days, we came to know that the building was approved for a single storey but the owner built six floors on that single storey. According to the National Crime Reports Bureau (NCRB), an average of 7 people die per day in the collapse of structures including buildings between 2001 and 2015. Generally, we as a human being evaluate after the incidents and it is rightly said that "What is the use of repenting now when the bird has eaten the harvest". We need to fix this issue and we are up for that motto "Every life matters & every penny contributes towards economy".

The main objective of the research project is to create a microwave-based non-destructive testing device for structural Health Monitoring:

1. To design, simulate and implement a prototype for microwave (MW) based non-destructive testing device for structural health monitoring.
2. The developed prototype would offer three main advantages; portability, low cost, and accessibility.
3. To conduct 3D Finite Element Modelling (FEM) trials on the 3D phantom.
4. To conduct initial trials on the in-house developed phantom and pre-disaster trials on actual civil structures.
5. To create the feasibility of a detailed study for structural health using our proposed microwave-based testing device.
6. To commercialize the MW based non-destructive testing device on a large scale (either through a testing company or launching a startup) to predict pre-disaster and durability of the civil structure.
7. To contribute towards capacity building in civil engineering technology development in Pakistan in collaboration and support of our industry/External Partners, Infrastructure Development Authority of Punjab (IDAP), Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiative, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA).
8. The most important objective of this project is that it addresses the UNDP Sustainable Development Goals SDG- 9 (Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster Innovation) & 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable) directly and UNDP SDG- 1,8,12 and 17 indirectly.

Project Implementation Method

 A portable device is built using two metal plates, battery and an LCR meter which is contained in a container. Metal plates are powered using Lithium polymer (LIPO) battery and a high-resolution LCR meter to make the device more sensitive. 

3D Phantoms having different properties and faults are designed to mimic the actual properties and faults of buildings. All the phantoms are tested using the prototype to collect impedance data to build a complete database of all the possible faults. Now you are in a position to test any building to predict any possible disaster.

Plates are attached to the building to mimic a coplanar capacitor where a building is considered as dielectric material which affects the capacitance of the capacitor. When a DC voltage is applied across the plates electric field lines pass through the concrete material due to fringing. This phenomenon shows the impedance of the overall setup on the screen of LCR meter. 

When a device is scanned over the surface of the building, the impedance changes due to under surface cracks and steel bars. change in impedance will tell about the possible fault. Based on the capacitance change, the product can predict or classify the type of faults (air void, surface crack, steel bar) residing inside the material.

Benefits of the Project

The device is an outcome of thorough research and hard struggle and effort. While doing research and implementing this product, we kept in mind that how this product may benefit the community and the industrial sector. The idea of making a microwave-based non-destructive testing (NDT) device is unique, safe, handy and innovative. The novel solution of NDT being developed has not been implemented by anyone in Pakistan so it can be patented in top-class journals i.e IEEE, SAGE and International conferences. The industrial outcomes of this device lie in its simple and innovative design and embedded system. This NDT device is primarily designed for local civil contractors and civil engineering companies. The community with little access or no access to these expansive NDT technologies (stress wave, infrared thermography, and radiography and radar technique) will have this cheap NDT capacitive sensing device at their doorstep to stay updated with conditions of their civil structures. The product has a high potential to attract investors and external stakeholders for the commercialization of this product after prototype testing and initial trials on the civil structure.

1. According to the National Crime Reports Bureau, an average of 7 people died per day in the collapse of structures including buildings between 2001 and 2015. The purpose of this project is to reduce the mortality rate significantly by prediction of durability and life of the civil structure.
2. It will be the first prototype of a complete MW based non-destructive testing device for civil structures health monitoring in Pakistan.
3. Benefits of MW based non-destructive testing devices are not only limited to civil structures, but they are also applicable in evaluating other structures and materials.
4. All the telecommunication, aerospace and radar communication is done using RF signals. There are countlessly transmitted and received RF signals in the atmosphere. So, the huge benefit of this MW based non-destructive testing device is that it would not be affected because of RF signals
5. It will increase the proficiency of the Civil Engineering community in the microwave analysis field.
6. Successful MW based non-destructive testing device for civil structures health monitoring will attract more investors for the advancement of Civil Engineering companies.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The main objective of this project is to build components of a complete prototype Capacitive Imaging system including:

1. A portable device is built using two metal plates, battery and an LCR meter which is contained in a container. Metal plates are powered using Lithium polymer (LIPO) battery and a high-resolution LCR meter to make the device more sensitive. 
2. 3D Phantoms having different properties and faults are designed to mimic the actual properties and faults of buildings.
3. All the phantoms are tested using the prototype to collect impedance data to build a complete database of all the possible faults.
4. Now you are in a position to test any building to predict any possible disaster.
5. Plates are attached to the building to mimic a coplanar capacitor where a building is considered as dielectric material which affects the capacitance of the capacitor. When a DC voltage is applied across the plates electric field lines pass through the concrete material due to fringing. This phenomenon shows the impedance of the overall setup on the screen of LCR meter. 
6. When a device is scanned over the surface of the building, the impedance changes due to under surface cracks and steel bars. change in impedance will tell about the possible fault.

Final Deliverable of the Project Hardware SystemCore Industry ManufacturingOther Industries IT , Finance , Others Core Technology Wearables and ImplantablesOther Technologies OthersSustainable Development Goals No Poverty, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Partnerships to achieve the GoalRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	79000
Portable LCR Meter	Equipment	1	30000	30000
Material Cost (3D Printing, PCB, Phantom)	Equipment	1	15000	15000
Phantom Development Cost	Equipment	1	10000	10000
Prototype Development	Equipment	1	15000	15000
Prototype Testing	Miscellaneous	1	5000	5000
PCB Designing (Printing, Etching and Soldering)	Miscellaneous	2	1000	2000
Stationery (Markers, Printing Paper, Double Tape)	Miscellaneous	1	2000	2000