Abstract
Cracking in concrete structures can significantly affect their structural integrity and eventually lead to catastrophic failure if undetected. Recent advances in sensor technology for structural health monitoring techniques have led to the development of new and improved sensors for real-time detection and monitoring of cracks in various applications, from laboratory tests to large structures. In this study, triaxial accelerometers have been employed to detect and locate micro- and macrocrack formation in plain self-compacting concrete (SCC) and steel-fibre-reinforced SCC (SFRSCC) beams under three-point bending. Experiments were carried out with triaxial accelerometers mounted on the surface of the beams. The experimental results revealed that triaxial accelerometers could be used to identify the locations of cracks and provide a greater quantity of useful data for more accurate measurement and interpretation. The study sheds light on the structural monitoring capability of triaxial acceleration measurements for SFRSCC structural elements that can act as an early warning system for structural failure.
Highlights
Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is an innovative type of concrete that has the ability to flow under its own weight without segregation or bleeding, and to fill all areas and corners of the formwork [1,2]
Glass, carbon, and synthetic fibres of various shapes and surfaces and their effects on the fresh and mechanical properties of SCC have been studied by various researchers [8,9,10,11,12]
steel-fibre-reinforced SCC (SFRSCC) is a very promising construction material with a high potential of application that benefits from the potentials of both SCC and randomly dispersed steel fibres [6]
Summary
Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is an innovative type of concrete that has the ability to flow under its own weight without segregation or bleeding, and to fill all areas and corners of the formwork [1,2]. A number of earlier researchers have focused on the characterisation of the fracture mode using AE methods in laboratory conditions in bending of plain concrete [40,42] and concrete reinforced with metal bars [43,44], with steel fibres [45,46], as well as with synthetic fibres [47] Most of these studies are focused on the use of multiple single-axial AE sensors at various locations of the concrete specimens. To monitor the cracks and accurately analyse the three-dimensional (3D) source locations, each of the single-axial sensors needs to be placed in the X, Y, and Z axis on the surface of the concrete specimens [48] This can be time-consuming when multiple single axial sensors are required to be mounted on large concrete structures, and a vast amount of data would be generated, resulting in increases in the storage cost for the structural health monitoring. The aim is to examine the feasibility of using triaxial accelerometers for detection and localisation of cracks, and to provide an improved methodology for concrete structure condition assessment
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