This paper investigates the use of distributed optical fiber sensors (DOFS) based on Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry of Rayleigh backscattering for Structural Health Monitoring purposes in civil engineering structures. More specifically, the results of a series of laboratory experiments aimed at assessing the suitability and accuracy of DOFS for crack monitoring in reinforced concrete members subjected to external loading are reported. The experiments consisted on three-point bending tests of concrete beams, where a polyamide-coated optical fiber sensor was bonded directly onto the surface of an unaltered reinforcement bar and protected by a layer of silicone. The strain measurements obtained by the DOFS system exhibited an accuracy equivalent to that provided by traditional electrical foil gauges. Moreover, the analysis of the high spatial resolution strain profiles provided by the DOFS enabled the effective detection of crack formation. Furthermore, the comparison of the reinforcement strain profiles with measurements from a digital image correlation system revealed that determining the location of cracks and tracking the evolution of the crack width over time were both feasible, with most errors being below ±3 cm and ±20 mm, for the crack location and crack width, respectively. ARTICLE HISTORY

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The implementation of structural health monitoring systems in civil engineering structures already in the construction phase could contribute to safer and more resilient infrastructure. Due to their lightweight, small size and high resistance to the environment, distributed optical fibre sensors stand out as a very promising technology for damage detection and quantification in reinforced concrete structures. In this article, the suitability of embedding robust distributed optical fibre sensors featuring a protective sheath to accurately assess the performance indicators, in terms of vertical deflection and crack width, of three reinforced concrete beams subjected to four-point bending is investigated. The results revealed that a certain strain attenuation occurs in embedded robust distributed optical fibre sensors compared to commonly used thin polyimide-coated distributed optical fibre sensors bonded to steel reinforcement bars. However, the presence of the protective sheath prevented the appearance of strain reading anomalies which has been a frequently reported issue. Performance wise, the robust distributed optical fibre sensors were able to provide a good estimate of the beam deflections with errors of between 12.3% and 6.5%. Similarly, crack widths computed based on distributed optical fibre sensor strain measurements differed by as little as ±20 µm with results from digital image correlation, provided individual cracks could be successfully detected in the strain profiles. Finally, a post-processing procedure is presented to generate intuitive contour plots that can help delivering critical information about the element’s structural condition in a clear and straightforward manner.

Distributed optical fiber sensors (DOFS) are modern-day cutting-edge monitoring tools that are quickly acquiring relevance in structural health monitoring engineering. Their most ambitious use is embedded inside plain or reinforced concrete (RC) structures with the scope of comprehending their inner-workings and the functioning of the concrete-reinforcement interaction. Yet, multiple studies have shown that the bonding technique with which the DOFS are bonded to the reinforcement bars has a significant role on the quality of the extracted strain data. Whilst this influence has been studied for externally bonded DOFS, it has not been done for embedded ones. The present article is set on performing such study by monitoring the strain measurement quality as sampled by DOFS bonded to multiple rebars with different techniques and adhesives. These instrumented rebars are used to produce differently sized RC ties later tested in tension. The discussion of the test outputs highlights the quasi-optimal performance of a DOFS/rebar bonding technique consisting of incising a groove in the rebar, positioning the DOFS inside it, bonding it with cyanoacrylate and later adding a protective layer of silicone. The resulting data is mostly noise-free and anomalies-free, yet still presents a newly diagnosed hitch that needs addressing in future research.

7This paper reports results from an ongoing project aimed at investigating the influence of fibre reinforcement on corrosion of rebar in chloride environments. Material tests showed that the resistivity of concrete decreased with the addition of fibres, whereas the chloride migration coefficient remained unaffected. Fibres at low dosages (<1.0% vol.) did not significantly affect the compressive and flexural strength of concrete but greatly enhanced its toughness. The results from corrosion tests showed a tendency of an earlier initiation of corrosion with increasing crack widths, while a small improvement was observed by the addition of fibres in terms of delayed corrosion initiation.

This paper reports the results of an experimental programme aimed at investigating the influence of fibre reinforcement on the corrosion process of conventional steel rebar embedded in cracked concrete and on the flexural behaviour of reinforced concrete beams. Un-and pre-cracked reinforced concrete beams were subjected to natural corrosion through cyclic exposure to a 10% chloride solution for a period of three years. Subsequently, flexural tests were carried out under three-point bending configuration. Gravimetric measurements showed higher corrosion levels for bars in plain concrete compared to fibre reinforced concrete, and visual inspection of the bars revealed that fibres promoted a more distributed corrosion pattern. From detailed examination of the bars through 3D laser scanning technique, the main parameter controlling the local corrosion level of individual pits appears to be the local interfacial conditions; grater loads during pre-cracking and repeated load cycles yielded greater cross-sectional losses. Moreover, there was a tendency for more localized corrosion in beams with open cracks, indicating a possible impact of crack width on the extension of corrosion. The results from the flexural tests showed a consistent increase of load capacity for fibre reinforced beams compared to their plain concrete counterparts but only a marginal influence of the fibres on the rotation capacity. Furthermore, the rotation capacity of the beams was found to decrease several times faster than the load capacity with increasing loss of rebar cross-sectional area.

This paper investigates, experimentally and numerically, the effect of fibre reinforcement on the initiation of corrosion-induced cracks in concrete and the bond behaviour of corroded reinforcement bars in fibre reinforced concrete. The fibres, due to their confining effect, contributed to delay crack initiation, improve the post-peak bond behaviour and retain the initial splitting strength for corrosion levels of up to 8%. The mechanisms for delayed crack initiation were explained through 3D finite element analyses of the experiments whereas a 1D model, using experimental bond-slip curves as an input, was employed to quantify the beneficial effect of fibres on the reinforcement anchorage length.