Citation

Han B, Yu X, Kwon E. Nanotechnology 2009; 20(44): 445501.

Affiliation

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN 55812, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Institute of Physics (Great Britain))

DOI

10.1088/0957-4484/20/44/445501

PMID

19809110

Abstract

In this paper, a self-sensing carbon nanotube (CNT)/cement composite is investigated for traffic monitoring. The cement composite is filled with multi-walled carbon nanotubes whose piezoresistive properties enable the detection of mechanical stresses induced by traffic flow. The sensing capability of the self-sensing CNT/cement composite is explored in laboratory tests and road tests. Experimental results show that the fabricated self-sensing CNT/cement composite presents sensitive and stable responses to repeated compressive loadings and impulsive loadings, and has remarkable responses to vehicular loadings. These findings indicate that the self-sensing CNT/cement composite has great potential for traffic monitoring use, such as in traffic flow detection, weigh-in-motion measurement and vehicle speed detection.

Language: en