ABSTRACT
This chapter describes some of the most promising applications of microwave reflectometry (MR) for monitoring and sensing purposes in the agrofood industry. The interest towards MR originates from the fact that this technique can satisfy several contrasting requirements, such as low implementation cost, real-time response, possibility of remote control, reliability and adequate measurement accuracy. Typically, in MR measurements, an electromagnetic (EM) signal is propagated into the system under test (SUT): the analysis of the reflected signal along with a specific data processing is used to retrieve the desired information on the SUT [1]. Applications of MR are numerous and cover a wide range of fields; in fact, thanks to the versatility of the approach, this technique has proven useful for several applications, such as
Localization of faults along cables [2–4]
Geotechnical engineering for assessing distributed pressure profiles [5–10]
Measurement of liquid levels (also in stratified liquids) [11–13]
356Monitoring applications in civil engineering for sensing crack/strain in reinforced concrete structures [14], for fault location on concrete anchors [15], for monitoring cement hydration [16], etc.
Water-leak detection in underground metal pipes [17]
