4–6 Sept 2024
University of Salerno, Fisciano Campus - Buiding E1
Europe/Rome timezone

Conference Secretariat

Detection of strain and crack development in RC under tensile fatigue loading using 2D FOS

5 Sept 2024, 11:30
15m
Room E (University of Salerno, Fisciano Campus - Building E1)

Room E

University of Salerno, Fisciano Campus - Building E1

Description

For reliable service life prediction of reinforced concrete (RC) structures, a fundamental knowledge of the damage development under repeated subcritical loading is essential. Even though computational models are becoming increasingly capable of performing numerical analysis of the structural behavior, the calculation of the entire structure involves an immense computational effort, especially in the case of fatigue loading. Moreover, for existing structures, both the loading history and the material properties are uncertain, leaving the actual strains and stresses within the structure unknown. Therefore, assessment of remaining service life is in practice mostly performed by elaborate visual inspection of the concrete surface. To overcome this time-consuming process, it is crucial to consider continuously gained information on the damage state of the existing structure by comprehensive strain measurement. Combining them with accelerated physical service life prediction models leads to an improved assessment of structural safety. Based on this premise, the authors have developed a monitoring concept that involves a two-dimensional application of distributed fiber optic sensors (FOS) on the concrete surface for high-resolution strain measurement. This paper presents the first studies using this general concept and shows how strain and crack development under monotonic and fatigue tensile loading can be accurately monitored using the FOS grid employed. The results clearly demonstrate that crack initiation can be predicted based on strain measurements long before the actual crack formation, and that even after crack initiation, the gradual crack opening can be reliably measured.

Primary authors

Henrik Becks (RWTH Aachen University, Germany) Josef Hegger (RWTH Aachen University, Germany) Martin Classen (RWTH Aachen University, Germany)

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