In a comprehensive experimental campaign, we investigated the capabilities of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors in monitoring the inelastic response of new circular concrete tunnel linings, subjected to seismic events. The FBG sensors measured the strains of steel reinforcement to be treated by a decision support system (DSS). First, a set of four‐point bending tests was performed on tunnel substructures, with the aim of characterizing the cross‐section under cyclic loading and of designing an FBG sensor package for use in a unique full‐scale test on a structure, which represented a complete circular section of the tunnel lining. Several types of FBG packages, to be embedded in and applied externally to the tunnel section, were tested to find the best solution. For comparison purposes, some standard devices were also used. The results of the experimental campaign are presented in detail, highlighting the performance of FBG sensors in reliable inelastic strain measurement of ductile concrete sections in seismic zones. Finally, the use of these data by a DSS allowed for the estimate of current structural conditions and damage at the monitored sections.
SUMMARYTo demonstrate the viability of using fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors capable of detecting the inelastic cyclic response of reinforced concrete sections that are part of tunnel linings, an experimental research programme carried out on different packaging configurations of FBG sensors is presented in this paper. The programme illustrated here was part of a wider research project funded by the European Commission whose objective was the development of a decision support system for monitoring tunnel linings in seismic-prone regions. In particular, a typical metro tunnel located in Rome area, Italy, was considered as a case study. In order to provide useful information for designing an effective sensor packaging to be applied to a final full-scale test representing a whole lining circular section of a tunnel, pure bending tests were designed and performed on five substructure specimens endowed with different sets of fibre packaging. The outcomes of the substructure tests showed that the optimal FBG packaging solutions were unbonded sensors either embedded in concrete or mounted externally. Moreover, the designed fibre sensor system reliably performed at large deformations. In fact, the external FBG fibres applied to the full-scale tunnel test approached maximum values of about 0.63%, whilst the internal fibres reached about 1.2%. The results obtained by FBG sensors were in good agreement with those of traditional transducers. Copyright
We present our vision of civil engineering in the coming ten years. With the help of a number of research case studies, we will show how radical developments in telecommunications and sensor technologies are about to change the way that civil engineering design and infrastructure maintenance are conceived and carried out. Indeed, within the next ten years smart structural elements with embedded sensors and systems capable of self-diagnosis will be a normal part of buildings. Whereas today the structural engineer conceives the single building or bridge as a stand-alone project, in future it is likely that structures will be regarded as cells in a complex being - the civil infrastructure network
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