EP-4741817-A1 - REMOTE SUFACE ACOUSTIC WAVE SENSING OF CURABLE SEALANTS AND FOAMS FOR EFFECTIVELY SEALING CONSTRUCTION CAVITIES AND JOINTS

EP4741817A1EP 4741817 A1EP4741817 A1EP 4741817A1EP-4741817-A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a surface acoustic wave sensing system comprising a surface acoustic wave sensor configured to be provided relative to a curable chemical sealant or foam and to output, to a measurement device or system, data corresponding to characteristics of the curable sealant or foam identifying whether the curable sealant or foam is curing correctly, data for in service control after curing and/or data corresponding to characteristics of the sealant or foam associated with use of the sealant or foam or foam when installed.

Inventors

PFEIL, ARMIN

Assignees

Hilti Aktiengesellschaft

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20241108

Claims (16)

A surface acoustic wave sensing system comprising a surface acoustic wave sensor configured to be provided relative to a curable chemical sealant or foam and to output, to a measurement device or system, data corresponding to characteristics of the curable chemical sealant or foam identifying whether the curable chemical sealant or foam is curing correctly, data for in service control after curing and/or data corresponding to characteristics of the chemical sealant or foam associated with use of the chemical sealant or foam when installed.
Surface acoustic wave sensing system according to claim 1, wherein the surface acoustic wave sensor is configured to receive an input signal from a measurement device or system to generate the output signal to a measurement device or system.
Surface acoustic wave sensing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the surface acoustic wave sensor is a passive remote surface acoustic wave sensor.
Surface acoustic wave sensing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the surface acoustic wave sensor is configured to output from the curable chemical sealant or foam to a measurement device or system only the data corresponding to characteristics of the curable chemical sealant or foam to identify whether the curable chemical sealant or foam is curing or installed correctly or is no longer curing or installed correctly.
Surface acoustic wave sensing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the surface acoustic wave sensor is configured to output from the curable chemical sealant or foam to a measurement device or system only the data corresponding to characteristics of the curable chemical sealant or foam associated with use of the cured chemical sealant or foam when installed.
Surface acoustic wave sensing system to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the data corresponding to characteristics of the curable chemical sealant or foam associated with use of the curable chemical sealant or foam when installed include data corresponding to one or more of a temperature associated with the curable chemical sealant or foam, stress and strains placed in or on the curable chemical sealant or foam, a compressive force applied to the curable chemical sealant or foam, pressure, movement, resistance and a unique identifier that identifies the curable chemical sealant or foam.
Surface acoustic wave sensing system according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a measurement device or system.
Surface acoustic wave sensing system according to 7, wherein the measurement device or system is a handheld device.
Surface acoustic wave sensing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the curable chemical sealant is a water- or silicon-based sealant, comprising a curable polymer and optionally fire-retardant, water-resistant, noise-retardant, smoke-retardant, intumescent and/or ablative additives, or wherein the curable chemical foam is a foam, comprising a curable polymer and optionally fire-retardant, water-resistant, noise-retardant, smoke-retardant, intumescent and/or ablative additives.
Surface acoustic wave sensing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the curable chemical sealant is a silicon-based sealant, comprising a curable polymer, or wherein the curable chemical foam is a foam, comprising a curable polymer and an intumescent additive ofor effectively sealing construction cavities and joints against fire, smoke, noise and environmental conditions.
Surface acoustic wave sensing system according to any one of claims 2 to 10, wherein the input signal is a radio wave signal with an operating frequency of 2.4 GHz.
Surface acoustic wave sensing system according to any one of claims 2 to 11, wherein the output signal is a radio frequency signal corresponding to the condition characteristics of the chemical sealant or foam.
Method for remote surface acoustic wave sensing of curable chemical sealant or foam comprising: generating an input signal with a measurement device or system; applying the input signal to a surface acoustic wave sensor thereby passing a sensing region of the sensor; generating an output signal, and receiving the output signal with a measurement device or system.
The method according to claim 13, further comprising evaluating the output signal.
The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the measurement device or system is a handheld device.
Use of a remote passive surface acoustic wave sensor in a method for remote sensing of curable chemical sealants and/or foams for effectively sealing construction cavities and/or joints against fire, smoke, noise and environmental conditions.

Description

Field of the invention The present invention relates to remote surface acoustic wave sensing of characteristics of curable chemical systems, in particular curable chemical sealants and foams in the field of effectively sealing construction cavities and joints against fire, smoke, noise and environmental conditions. Background of the invention Many sealants and foams exist which provide a good sealing of construction cavities and joints against fire, smoke, noise and environmental conditions. For example, sealants and foams which comprise curable polymers, water- or silicone-based, which are fire-retardant, noise-retardant, water-resistant, intumescent and/or ablative, exist for effectively sealing construction cavities and joints against fire, smoke, noise and environmental conditions. Such sealants and foams are often directly employed on the job site, thereby being sprayed or brushed or otherwise brought onto or into the construction cavities and joints, during or after installation of these construction cavities or joints, and then left to cure. There are ready to use two component sealants or foams, one component sealant or foams and pseudo one component systems that are directly mixed on the jobsite and brought onto or into the construction cavities or joints to seal against fire, smoke, noise and environmental conditions. In particular, there is an interest in the construction and building industries to protect a wide range of different cavities and joints in buildings or other construction sides using curable sealants and foams, as they can be easy applied and are a safe and quick measure to seal and protect such cavities and joints. In order to achieve a safe and fully sealed construction cavity and joint against fire, smoke, noise and environmental conditions, curing of the sealant or foam is required that always involves monitoring the curing time which is strongly dependent on the installation temperature, material installed and on specific weather conditions surrounding the job site. This monitoring is often timeconsuming and inaccurate and may result in not fully cured system which in the end is unsafe to use or in a worst-case scenario cannot ensure a fully sealed cavity or joint against fire, smoke, noise and environmental conditions according to standards. There are known systems for identifying and tracking different objects which involve use of radio frequency identification devices. However, radio frequency identification devices can only be employed in a distance range very close to the embedded RFID chip which is usually in the range of some millimetres. They can further only be used due to their sensitivity in safe environments and need a large number of tags in order to establish a full picture of the monitored system. In parallel it is only possible to read 1 to 3 tags at the time. The RFID chip technology, however, is not suitable for monitoring certain conditions, which are based on a physical property of an object or material. When it comes to effectively sealing construction cavities and joints against fire, smoke, noise and environmental conditions, monitoring of the curing process and the fully cured system, also under harsh conditions is needed to ensure provision of a safe system on the jobsite, thereby also safing labour time. Therefore, there is a need for a monitoring system for curable chemical systems, in particular curable chemical sealants and foam, in the field of sealing construction cavities and joints against fire, smoke, noise and environmental conditions, which is superior over the prior art systems with regard to health and safety, handling, labor time, sustainability and a good balance between workability and curing of the sealant or foam as well as maintain the cured system. In particular, for sealing cavities and joints that are visible, it is necessary to observe and to note the minimum and maximum time for applying another layer of sealants of more foam, and time for performing further treatment steps for finishing, such as applying a top finish corresponding to the final use of the cavity or joint. Moreover, it is of interest to provide a system that can be used for monitoring effective sealing of construction cavities and joints against fire, smoke, noise and environmental conditions without adversely affecting the handling, characteristics and the mechanical performance of the sealant or foam as well as to provide a system that is constantly monitored to ensure that a decrease of performance over time is not happening. Finally, there is a need for a system that enables the customer to refrain from referring to curing timetables in order to determine the final installation state of a cured chemical sealant or foam. It would be beneficial if the chemical sealant or foam can remotely send out information about its curing. In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a monitoring system for curable chemical systems, in particular