Triboluminescent Optical Nerves for Smart Concrete Structures

摘要

In-situ and real time structural health monitoring is critical for ensuring thesafety of users and for extending the useful life of our aged and overloaded civilinfrastructure systems like concrete bridges and dams. The development of the insitutriboluminescent optical fiber (ITOF) sensor may provide concrete structureswith these capabilities. Two types of cement-based composites with integratedITOF sensors were fabricated and tested under flexural loading. Real time failuredetection was demonstrated in mortar beams while real time damage monitoringwas demonstrated in reinforced concrete (RC) beams. For all samples tested,significant and distinctive jump in the triboluminescent (TL) signal values weredetected at the instance of failure in mortar beams and cracking in RC beams.Analysis of the TL signal profiles from the brittle failure of the mortar beamsrevealed multiple peaks indicative of multiple TL emissions that provided evidenceof the sensor’s ability to sense rapidly propagating crack during mortar failure. TLsignals were observed at the instance of crack formation (damage) in the tested RCbeams that provided early warning of system’s degradation before failure.