Self-sensing ultra-high performance concrete: a review

Abstract

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is an innovative cementitious composite, that has been widely applied in numerous structural projects because of its superior mechanical properties and durability. However, ensuring the safety of UHPC structures necessitates an urgent need for technology to continuously monitor and evaluate their condition during their extended periods of service. Self-sensing ultra-high performance concrete (SSUHPC) extends the functionality of UHPC system by integrating conductive fillers into the UHPC matrix, allowing it to address above demands with great potential and superiority. By measuring and analyzing the relationship between fraction change in resistivity (FCR) and external stimulates (force, stress, strain), SSUHPC can effectively monitor the crack initiation and propagation as well as damage events in UHPC structures, thus offering a promising pathway for structural health monitoring (SHM). Research on SSUHPC has attracted substantial interests from both academic and engineering practitioners in recent years, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive review on the state of the art of SSUHPC. It offers a detailed overview of material composition, mechanical properties and self-sensing capabilities, and the underlying mechanisms involved of SSUHPC with various functional fillers. Furthermore, based on the recent advancements in SSUHPC technology, the paper concludes that SSUHPC has superior self-sensing performance under tensile load but poor self-sensing performance under compressive load. The mechanical and self-sensing properties of UHPC are substantially dependent on the type and dosage of functional fillers. In addition, the practical engineering SHM application of SSUHPC, particularly in the context of large-scale structure, is met with certain challenges, such as environment effects on the response of SSUHPC. Therefore, it still requires further extensive investigation and empirical validation to bridge the gap between laboratory research and real engineering application of SSUHPC.

The pioneer of intelligent and sustainable construction in tunnel shotcrete applications: a comprehensive experimental and numerical study on a self-sensing and self-heating green cement-based composite

“…The convergence of nanotechnology and concrete science has given rise to a groundbreaking era in construction materials, where self-sensing and self-heating capabilities are seamlessly embedded into the electrical conductive concrete matrix [5,[33][34][35]. Self-sensing concrete involves the incorporation of conductive fillers such as carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) and microfibres including steel and carbon fibres, forming a conductive network that can detect variations in strain, stress, or other structural parameters within the concrete [1,13,[36][37][38][39].…”

Influence of cement and water content on the multifaceted capabilities of a self-sensing cement-based geocomposite: a comprehensive analysis

“…Implementing real-time monitoring of these inherent damages during the initial stages can effectively curtail their progression, extend the service life of structures, reduce maintenance expenses, and avert the abrupt failure of these constructions [4,12,13]. This continuous damage detection and monitoring process and the assessment of the condition of engineering infrastructures is often referred to as structural health monitoring (SHM) [14][15][16]. SHM relies heavily on measurement principles to collect data on factors such as structural deformation, vibration, temperature, and corrosion, among others [15,17].…”