PSI - Issue 84

ScienceDirect Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2026) 000–000 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2026) 000–000 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Procedia Structural Integrity 84 (2026) 9–16

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III Fabre Conference: Existing Bridges, Viaducts, and Tunnels: Research, Innovation, and Applications Battery-free passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensors for corrosion monitoring of external bonded posttension tendons in prestressed concrete structures. Martina Giglio a, *, Yannick Falaise b , Stéphane Rioual c , Benoit Lescop c , Thomas Fanget d , Edoardo Proverbio a , Laurent Gaillet b , Sylvain Chataigner b III Fabre Conference: Existing Bridges, Viaducts, and Tunnels: Research, Innovation, and Applications Battery-free passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensors for corrosion monitoring of external bonded posttension tendons in prestressed concrete structures. Martina Giglio a, *, Yannick Falaise b , Stéphane Rioual c , Benoit Lescop c , Thomas Fanget d , Edoardo Proverbio a , Laurent Gaillet b , Sylvain Chataigner b a University of Messina, Contrada di Dio, 98158 Sant'Agata, Messina ME, Italia b Université Gustave Eiffel - Campus de Nantes – MAST/SMC - Bouguenais, France c Univ_Brest, CNRS, Lab-STICC UMR 6285, Brest, France d APRR AREA, Jonage, France Abstract Durability issues in post-tensioned prestressed concrete structures are rising high concern to owners and managers due to their increasing age. Non-invasive corrosion monitoring is essential to ensure structural integrity in aggressive environments. This work presents a battery-free passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor designed to detect steel wires or strands corrosion in external bonded post tensioning tendons through variations in radio signal response. The sensing principle relies on the electromagnetic interference between an RFID tag and a conductive metallic layer that acts as a corrosion-sensitive element embedded in the plastic duct. As this layer deteriorates due to corrosion, its changing physical properties affect its shield effect, altering the signal received by an Ultra High Frequency (UHF)-RFID reader. The experimental setup employs two tags: a constantly active reference tag and a second, initially shielded, corrosion-sensitive tag. During exposure to a simulated water condensation environment, the protective layer of the sensitive tag progressively degraded, reducing its shielding capability. This process allowed the tag to respond gradually to the reader, leading to measurable increase in the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI). Once the corrosion of the metallic layer is complete, the RSSI of the sensitive tag becomes indistinguishable from that of the unshielded reference tag. The simplicity of the device, combined with the absence of an external power supply, makes this technology suitable for deployment in remote or hard-to-access locations. It offers a cost-effective and reliable solution for real-time, wireless corrosion monitoring. © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Conference a University of Messina, Contrada di Dio, 98158 Sant'Agata, Messina ME, Italia b Université Gustave Eiffel - Campus de Nantes – MAST/SMC - Bouguenais, France c Univ_Brest, CNRS, Lab-STICC UMR 6285, Brest, France d APRR AREA, Jonage, France Abstract Durability issues in post-tensioned prestressed concrete structures are rising high concern to owners and managers due to their increasing age. Non-invasive corrosion monitoring is essential to ensure structural integrity in aggressive environments. This work presents a battery-free passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor designed to detect steel wires or strands corrosion in external bonded post tensioning tendons through variations in radio signal response. The sensing principle relies on the electromagnetic interference between an RFID tag and a conductive metallic layer that acts as a corrosion-sensitive element embedded in the plastic duct. As this layer deteriorates due to corrosion, its changing physical properties affect its shield effect, altering the signal received by an Ultra High Frequency (UHF)-RFID reader. The experimental setup employs two tags: a constantly active reference tag and a second, initially shielded, corrosion-sensitive tag. During exposure to a simulated water condensation environment, the protective layer of the sensitive tag progressively degraded, reducing its shielding capability. This process allowed the tag to respond gradually to the reader, leading to measurable increase in the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI). Once the corrosion of the metallic layer is complete, the RSSI of the sensitive tag becomes indistinguishable from that of the unshielded reference tag. The simplicity of the device, combined with the absence of an external power supply, makes this technology suitable for deployment in remote or hard-to-access locations. It offers a cost-effective and reliable solution for real-time, wireless corrosion monitoring.

* Corresponding author. E-mail address: martina.giglio1@studenti.unime.it

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Conference 10.1016/j.prostr.2026.06.002 2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Conference 2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Conference * Corresponding author. E-mail address: martina.giglio1@studenti.unime.it