Structural health monitoring from fiber-reinforced composites to steel-reinforced concrete

Abstract

Accurate interpretation of sensor measurements in terms of physical changes in structures is a major challenge for the development of robust structural health monitoring systems. An active diagnostic system was proposed to detect embedded damage in fiber-reinforced composites and steel-reinforced concrete. Due to the inherent difference in material characteristics, changes in sensor measurements resulting from damage for the two material systems were found considerably different. For a given excitation, it was found that local delamination in fiber-reinforced composites reduced the measured signal strength of a nearby sensor, while rebar debond in concrete increased signal strength. Techniques based on the characteristics of these material responses to damage are being developed for adequate active sensing diagnostic systems for each material.