Elastic Wave Application for Damage Detection in Concrete Slab with GFRP Reinforcement

The aim of the presented examination is condition-monitoring of GFRP-reinforced concrete structural members using elastic wave propagation. As an example, a deck slab is selected. The deck slab is made of concrete of the targeted C30/37 class under three-point bending. During loading cycles, the specimen is observed with a digital image correlation (DIC) system, which enables calculation of the strain field. The measuring setup consists of two Baumer 12.3 Mpx cameras with VS-1220HV lenses, combined in a Q400 system by Dantec Dynamics GmbH. Elastic waves are also measured based on signals recorded with PZT (lead–zirconate–titanate) sensors. Additionally, the typical crack-opening measurements are made. The appearance of a crack and its growth causes changes in both the shape and amplitude of the registered signals. However, the changes are not obvious and depend on the location of the sensors. Due to the impossibility of determining simple parameters with respect to disturbingly wide cracks, for damage detection, an artificial neural network (ANN) is applied. Perfect determination of the specimen’s condition (100% properly classified patterns) is possible based on whether the element is under loading or not.