Embedded distributed optical fiber sensors in reinforced concrete structures: a case study

When using distributed optical fiber sensors (DOFS) on reinforced concrete structures, a compromise must be achieved between the protection requirements and robustness of the sensor deployment and the accuracy of the measurements both in the uncracked and cracked stages and under loading, unloading...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Barrias, Antonio Jose de Sousa|||0000-0002-2298-7956, Casas Rius, Joan Ramon|||0000-0003-4473-4308, Villalba Herrero, Sergi|||0000-0001-6535-6372
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/115965
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/115965
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s18040980
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Structural health monitoring
fiber optics
structural health monitoring
distributed fiber sensing
civil engineering
load testing
reinforced concrete
cracking
Construcció en formigó
Detectors de fibra òptica
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Materials i estructures::Materials i estructures de formigó
Descripción
Sumario:When using distributed optical fiber sensors (DOFS) on reinforced concrete structures, a compromise must be achieved between the protection requirements and robustness of the sensor deployment and the accuracy of the measurements both in the uncracked and cracked stages and under loading, unloading and reloading processes. With this in mind the authors have carried out an experiment where polyimide-coated DOFS were installed on two concrete beams, both embedded in the rebar elements and also bonded to the concrete surface. The specimens were subjected to a three-point load test where after cracking, they are unloaded and reloaded again to assess the capability of the sensor when applied to a real loading scenarios in concrete structures. Rayleigh Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) was used as the most suitable technique for crack detection in reinforced concrete elements. To verify the reliability and accuracy of the DOFS measurements, additional strain gauges were also installed at three locations along the rebar. The results show the feasibility of using a thin coated polyimide DOFS directly bonded on the reinforcing bar without the need of indention or mechanization. A proposal for a Spectral Shift Quality (SSQ) threshold is also obtained and proposed for future works when using polyimide-coated DOFS bonded to rebars with cyanoacrylate adhesive.