Impact of concrete moisture on radio propagation: Fundamentals and measurements of concrete samples

Ari Asp, Tuomo Hentila, Mikko Valkama, Jussa Pikkuvirta, Arto Hujanen, Ismo Huhtinen

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference article in proceedingsScientificpeer-review

    3 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Since 1960's concrete based wall panel systems have become more popular especially in multi-storey residential buildings. The main components of concrete are water, cement and aggregates and especially water-to-cement ratio has a significant influence on the pore structure of the concrete and therefore, on its electrical properties. This paper presents a study where the effect of moisture on the RF attenuation of the outermost concrete sandwich element is examined based on material samples. The frequency range used in the measurements was 7 GHz to 13 GHz, but the results are expandable for other frequencies based on the stable permittivity value. In particular, at higher frequencies, the attenuation of concrete layer increases rapidly and already at lower frequencies of 5th Generation (5G) networks, the wetting of the outermost layer of the concrete element can cause an 6-12 dB additional signal attenuation.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationISWCS 2019
    Subtitle of host publication16th International Symposium on Wireless Communication Systems
    PublisherVDE Verlag
    Pages542-547
    ISBN (Electronic)978-1-7281-2527-5
    ISBN (Print)978-1-7281-2528-2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Aug 2019
    MoE publication typeA4 Article in a conference publication
    Event16th International Symposium on Wireless Communication Systems, ISWCS 2019 - Oulu, Finland
    Duration: 27 Aug 201930 Aug 2019

    Publication series

    SeriesInternational Symposium on Wireless Communication Systems
    Volume16
    ISSN2154-0217

    Conference

    Conference16th International Symposium on Wireless Communication Systems, ISWCS 2019
    Country/TerritoryFinland
    CityOulu
    Period27/08/1930/08/19

    Keywords

    • Outdoor-to-indoor propagation
    • Penetration loss
    • Radiowave propagation
    • RF measurements
    • OtaNano

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