Information is power (technological power)

Prosistemas engineers have designed a system, unique in the world to date, to sensor and monitor all the chemical processes that concrete undergoes from the moment it leaves the mixing plant, during critical transport and on site until several weeks after pouring and curing. Observed in real time, it allows immediate adjustments to be made to the mix to avoid pathologies in the future. If a lorry provides anomalous data during the journey, an immediate replacement of the concrete mixer is activated so as not to hinder the times managed within the plant. We are talking about minute accuracies that can be altered by local traffic, a change in the weather or an accident on the road. All of this can influence the qualities of the concrete.

At the exit of the concrete plant, a first test is carried out on each truck. The vehicle is sensorised to report in real time on the concrete mixer’s revolutions or changes in the strength and moisture content of the mix. This is the first time in the paving industry that an entire fleet – each and every trip – is monitored in this precise way. Bear in mind that the life of the mix in that truck is about 90 minutes, and that on site during the summer it has been as high as 43 degrees Celsius. All this must be taken into account when working with different additive products or mechanical systems to guarantee the properties of the concrete and the appropriate curing times.

During the execution of this project, 500,000 records will be made to control the quality of the concrete.

Once on site, hundreds of high-tech sensors are introduced into the concrete pouring process, which will send information for weeks and in real time on various parameters that allow us to know how the mixture is evolving until it cures and forms a concrete with the previously calculated strength. The sensors remain part of the pavement for life. Overall, 500,000 records will be made during the execution of this project to control the quality of the concrete.

Astronomical quantities have to be worked with the precision of a watchmaker, because the lifetime of the fresh concrete qualities is, as mentioned above, barely one and a half hours. Every day for six months and uninterruptedly, a surface of 1,250 square metres will be completed, just the size of an Olympic-size swimming pool.

A more sustainable pavement

Sensorisation of all phases has enabled Prosistemas to use the equipment to set up an environmental monitoring system. It is unique in the world for its power to detect quantities of particles per million of formaldehyde or carbon dioxide emissions. It is an environmental station that remains operational throughout the execution of the project and allows immediate action to be taken to maintain the sustainability of the entire project.