A cold night or a dead heater, and the clock still says strip
Without concrete curing temperature monitoring, most plants strip on a time rule: 16 hours, or overnight. Concrete gains strength with heat, and the clock doesn't know what the heat did.
After a cold night a panel can be short of strength when the crane takes the weight.
The thermometer on the curing enclosure reads the air. It doesn't read the thick part of the panel.
- WorkSafe Victoria lists too little strength at the lift among causes of precast elements failing.
What a strength estimate looks like
- The lab curve for this mix gives 350 °C.h at 15 MPa.
- Illustration only. Your mix sets the real numbers.
| Delay: 2 h at 22 °C | 44 °C.h, total 44 |
|---|---|
| Ramp: 3 h at 40 °C average | 120 °C.h, total 164 |
| Hold: 4 h at 60 °C | 240 °C.h, total 404 |
| Cool: 3 h at 45 °C average | 135 °C.h, total 539 |
The total passes 350 °C.h about 3 hours into the hold, roughly 8 hours after casting. The system flags the panel as ready for checking.
How concrete curing temperature monitoring works at the mould table
- 1
A probe goes into the panel
The tip sits mid-section in the thickest or coolest part, clear of steel. The lead runs out through the mould.
- 2
A node on the table sends it
A LoRaWAN node on the mould or table reads every 5 to 10 minutes and sends by radio. The node isn't cast in.
- 3
The gateway on the shed roof passes it on
The antenna sits high or outside on a mast, and Starlink or 4G carries the readings out.
- 4
The system adds up the heat
It tracks the temperature-time factor against the curve your lab built for that mix, and texts you.
What we put on each mould table
We pick the sentinel panels at the site visit.
-
Cast-in concrete probe
Goes into the thickest or coolest part of a sentinel panel.
About 0.5 °C accuracy
-
LoRaWAN node on the table
Takes the probe lead through the mould and sends each reading by radio.
Reads every 5 to 10 min
-
Gateway on the shed roof
Collects the readings from every table and passes them on.
Antenna high or on a mast
-
Starlink or 4G backhaul
Gets the readings out of a steel shed to your phone.
No wifi needed
What lands on your phone when a cure goes wrong
We set limits from your spec, then tune them after the first pours.
-
3:10 am
Bed 2 panel 14 at 49 °C, 6 °C under the hold target. Check the heater.
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3:40 am
Bed 2 panel 14 still at 47 °C. Hold is 30 min behind. Heater needs a look.
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4:30 am
Bed 2 panel 14 back to 56 °C and climbing. Hold is on track.
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7:05 am
Bed 2 panel 14 has reached its calibrated factor. Ready for checking.
Messages go to the people you nominate, by SMS to any phone and by email, with the reading and the time in every alert.
A time rule and a cylinder versus a probe in the panel
| Topic | Today | With monitoring |
|---|---|---|
| What's measured | Clock time, or the air in the enclosure | Heat inside the thick section |
| Strength check | One cylinder break per set | A running estimate, all night |
| A heater fails at 2 am | Found at strip time | An SMS in minutes |
Concrete curing temperature monitoring in a precast shed
Steel cladding and cages weaken radio, so we test range at mould level before we leave.
Casting blocks out in a yard? See precast block curing temperature monitoring for quarry and recycler yards.
A shed with a heated curing line usually has motors and fans behind it too. See motor and fan vibration monitoring and dust collector pressure monitoring.
We do the electrical and controls work under QLD Electrical Contractor Licence 1513082. Steam and heating pipework stays with a QBCC-licensed contractor we engage.
What concrete curing temperature monitoring costs
We fix the price after a short scoping call or a site visit. It depends on the number of tables and probes, the distance to the gateway and the backhaul. Ongoing support is available as a plan after handover.
Get a quote for curing monitoringThe fixed price covers
- Probes and nodes
- Gateway and Starlink or 4G backhaul
- Installation and electrical work under licence 1513082
- Strength calculation set-up, checked against example temperature histories
- Alert set-up, commissioning and training
- A support plan: we keep it running, replace batteries and probes, and tune alerts as your mixes change
What this won't do
- It doesn't replace the lift strength your engineer specifies, verification tests or the certificate of compliance. NRMCA says maturity should be supplemented by other checks where safety is involved.
- The estimate needs a lab curve for your exact mix. If the mix changes, the curve is rebuilt.
- Standard probes read to about 0.5 °C. That's indicative. Traceable records need calibrated probes.
- It sends alerts and doesn't control your heater or steam.