Comprehensive Diagnostic System for Corrosion Assessment of Concrete Infrastructure

Concrete undergoes numerous physical and chemical changes during its service life that are induced by the transport of moisture and ingress of ionic species. Comprehensive non-destructive monitoring tools that enable the diagnosis and prognosis of concrete health are vital for managing, forecasting, and hence reducing the cost of maintenance and repair while improving infrastructure safety. Current structural health monitoring (SHM) tools are limited to the use of sensors that only interrogate parameters including displacement, strain, and temperature. Such sensors can identify whether damage has developed but cannot provide any indication of the "underlying chemical distress," which is often the root cause of the damage. To ensure the safety of reinforced concrete structures and determine their fitness for service, it is essential to develop a comprehensive SHM system that uses a suite of chemical sensors to monitor, forecast, and elucidate structural remediation protocols. From a mechanistic standpoint, steel corrosion is an electrochemical process, and, therefore, detection of steel corrosion necessitates the monitoring of chemical indicators relevant to the electrochemical process. The objective of the project is to build upon preliminary work to develop a comprehensive sensing system to enable real-time and "off-site" monitoring of the health of concrete infrastructure. Targeting External Sulfate Attack (ESA), a key contributor to concrete deterioration, this project integrates an optical fiber-based remote Raman probe with fiber optic distributed strain sensors. This advanced system is set to outperform traditional resistance measurement methods, offering in-depth, real-time monitoring of concrete integrity.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $79032
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348339

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Center for Durable and Resilient Transportation Infrastructure

  University of Texas, Arlington
  Arlington, TX  United States  76019

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Konsta-Gdoutos, Maria

• Start Date: 20230901
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers
• Subprogram: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete structures; Corrosion; Deterioration; Fiber optics; Reinforced concrete; Remote sensing; Sensors; Structural health monitoring; Sulfates
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Maintenance and Preservation; Materials; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01909969
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Center for Durable and Resilient Transportation Infrastructure
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348339
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Feb 27 2024 12:55PM