Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors for Reinforcing Bar Slippage Detection and Bond-Slip Gradient Characterization
Luis Pereira,
Esequiel Mesquita,
Nélia Alberto,
José Melo,
Carlos Marques,
Paulo Antunes,
Paulo S. André,
Humberto Varum
Affiliations
Luis Pereira
I3N & Department of Physics of the University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Esequiel Mesquita
Laboratory of Rehabilitation and Buildings Durability, Campus Russas, Federal University of Ceara, 62900-000 Russas, Ceará, Brazil
Nélia Alberto
Instituto de Telecomunicações and University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
José Melo
CONSTRUCT-LESE, Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Department of Civil Engineering, Structural Division, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Carlos Marques
I3N & Department of Physics of the University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Paulo Antunes
I3N & Department of Physics of the University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Paulo S. André
Instituto de Telecomunicações and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Humberto Varum
CONSTRUCT-LESE, Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Department of Civil Engineering, Structural Division, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
The detection of bond-slip between the reinforcing bar (RB) and concrete is of great importance to ensure the safety of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The techniques to monitor the connection between the RB and concrete are in constant development, with special focus on the ones with straightforward operation and simple non-intrusive implementation. In this work, a simple configuration is developed using 10 optical fiber sensors, allowing different sections of the same RC structure to be monitored. Since the RB may suffer different strains along its length, the location of the sensors is critical to provide an early warning about any displacement. Bragg gratings were inscribed in both silica and polymer optical fibers and these devices worked as displacement sensors by monitoring the strain variations on the fibers. The results showed that these sensors can be easily implemented in a civil construction environment, and due to the small dimensions, they can be a non-intrusive technique when multiple sensors are implemented in the same RC structure.
