AR-glass/carbon-based textile-reinforced concrete elements for detecting water infiltration within cracked zones

Abstract

The study examines the use of hybrid carbon-based textile-reinforced concrete elements with self-sensing capabilities to quantitatively detect wetting events within cracked zones. The self-sensory structural element combines the advantages of AR-glass and carbon-based textile-reinforced concrete for thin-walled structural elements with those stemming from the electrical properties of reinforced carbon rovings. The article investigates the sensitivity of sensory carbon rovings to distinguish between the magnitudes of various wetting events, which is associated with the severity of the cracking, according to two electrical setups (DC and AC circuits). The sensing concept takes advantage of the continuous configuration of the carbon rovings, which enables direct connection of the roving ends to the data acquisition system, and of the manufacturing process that two carbon rovings are placed adjacent to one another. Therefore, it is assumed that wetting events electrically short-circuit the two adjacent rovings. The sensitivity of the two electrical setups is experimentally investigated and performed on a couple of bared carbon rovings and on a cracked textile-reinforced concrete beam. Test results demonstrate the sensitivity of the sensing capabilities of the carbon rovings to detect and distinguish between the magnitudes of the wetting events and consequently the severity of the cracking.

Self-Sensing Cementitious Composites: Review and Perspective

“…It was found that this material could be a good candidate for monitoring stress state changes and, therefore, has the potential for use in this area. Alkali-resistant (AR)-glass and carbon-based textile-reinforced concrete, which was implemented in the experiment conducted by Goldfeld and Perry [ 105 ], was also found as a preferred material for leakage detection application. It was identified that hybrid carbon-based textile-reinforced concrete can detect and discern the magnitude of wetting, as well as determine the severity of the surface cracking.…”

“…A similar experimental pattern and material use was observed for weight in motion application [ 11 , 38 , 100 , 102 , 103 ]. In order to sense and detect leakage, the fillers dispersed inside the concrete and fiber-based textile reinforcement have been used [ 16 , 104 , 105 ]. Some researchers used embedded cement-based piezoelectric sensors for corrosion process monitoring [ 6 ].…”

Monitoring capabilities of various smart self sensory carbon-based textiles to detect water infiltration

“…The high tensile strength of the rovings and their high resistance against corrosion enable the production of thin-walled and structurally strong TRC elements. The use of electrically conductive rovings, such as carbon rovings, that are characterized by high mechanical performance enables the rovings to serve both as the main reinforcement system as well as the sensory agent for detecting mechanical loading (Christner et al, 2012; Goldfeld et al, 2016a, 2017b; Wen and Chung, 1999; Wen et al, 2000), strain (Horoschenkoff and Christner, 2012; Quadflieg et al, 2016; Teomete, 2015), cracking (Goldfeld et al, 2017a; Goldfeld and Yosef, 2019); or water infiltration (Goldfeld and Perry, 2018, 2019; Goldfeld et al, 2016b, 2016c).…”

“…The sensory concept of the smart system to detect water leakage is based on the changes of electrical properties of two adjacent carbon rovings reinforcement due to infiltration of water through cracked zones, Goldfeld and Perry (2018, 2019). The sensory characterization of the carbon rovings to monitor water leakage is correlated to the unique micro-structural mechanism of the rovings within the cementitious matrix.…”

“…It significantly influences the structural response (e.g. Banholzer, 2004; Barhum and Mechtcherine, 2012; Bentur et al, 2010; Hartig et al, 2008; Hegger et al, 2006; Perry et al, 2020; Soranakom, 2008), and ultimately reflected by changes of their electrical characterization during wetting events (Goldfeld and Perry, 2018, 2019).…”