Identifying the Location of Cracks in Intelligent Carbon Based TRC Elements

Abstract

The goal of the study is to develop an identification procedure that identifies the location of cracks within textile reinforced concrete (TRC) elements by using their smart self-sensory capabilities. To answer this goal the investigation offers to adopt the principles of the time domain reflectometer (TDR) analysis and to explore the changes of the spectrum of the impedance. In order to use the concept, the study considers the electrical characterization of the sensory carbon yarns, mainly the dependency of the impedance with the yarn’s length and offers a calibration procedure. It was found that the procedure has the capabilities to identify all cracking events but also involved additional false alarm scenarios. It is further demonstrated that only the location of the first crack was accurately identified.