An RFID-Based Sensor for Masonry Crack Monitoring

A radio frequency identifier (RFID) tag sensor for the real time monitoring of cracks in civil engineering building is presented in this work. The RFID tag is equipped with a piezoelectric sensor able to detect small movements of crack in order to prevent collapses of buildings or civil engineering structures. The information is delivered by using the modulated scattering technique (MST) which permits to obtain high operative ranges. The sensor is passive, the power supply is provided by means of a suitable rect-antenna and a Chockcroft-Walton multiplier circuit powered by means of the impinging interrogating electromagnetic wave. A system prototype, operating in the X band at 10 GHz, has been designed fabricated and experimentally assessed in a realistic scenario obtaining promising results.