Crack detection and fatigue related delamination in FRP composites applied to concrete

摘要

Reinforced concrete beams are designed to allow minor concrete cracking in the tension zone. The severity of cracking in a beam element is a good indicator of how well a structure is performing and whether or not repairs are needed to prevent structural failure. FRP composites are commonly used to increase the flexural and shear capacity of RC beam elements, but one potential disadvantage of this method is that strengthened surfaces are no longer visible and cracks or delaminations that result from excessive loading or fatigue may go undetected.This research investigated thermal imaging techniques for detecting load induced cracking in the concrete substrate and delamination of FRP strengthening systems applied to reinforced concrete (RC). One small-scale RC beam (5 in.×6 in.×60 in.) was strengthened with FRP and loaded to failure monotonically. An infrared thermography inspection was performed after failure. A second strengthened beam was loaded cyclically for 1,750,000 cycles to investigate how fatigue might affect substrate cracking and delamination growth throughout the service-life of a repaired element. No changes were observed in the FRP bond during/after the cyclic loading. The thermal imaging component of this research included pixel normalization to enhance detectability and characterization of this specific type of damage.