Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

A prospective method for structural health monitoring of engineering materials and structures is based on embedded strain sensors in the form of electrically conductive carbon rovings. This article presents the results of the application of carbon rovings and the development of flexible textile fabrics based on these rovings for measuring the deformation in engineering materials, including concrete and polymer- and cement-based composites. The possibility of using carbon rovings as a strain sensor is demonstrated via measurements in tensile and four-point bending tests. The experimental setups and methods for measuring the electrical resistance of carbon roving as a function of strain in the roving, concrete, and composites are described. A good correlation has been found between the electrical resistance–strain curve of the carbon roving (used as a calibration curve) and the measurements in the concrete and polymer composites from tensile tests. The difference in the character of the flexural behavior and the electrical signal in the carbon roving cement-based composite, affected by the stitch type and shape of the carbon roving cross section in textile fabric, was found through four-point bending tests.

Keywords

Concrete strain sensors conductive carbon roving structural health monitoring engineering structures

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Balageas

Introduction to structural health monitoring. In: Balageas

Fritzen

C-P

Güemes

(eds) Structural health monitoring. London: ISTE, 2006, pp.13–43.

Isley

The use of high performance textiles in construction projects. J Ind Text 2002; 31: 205–217.

Colombo

Magri

Zani

. Textile reinforced concrete: experimental investigation on design parameters. Mater Struct 2013; 46: 1933–1951.

Hegger

Zell

Horstmann

Textile reinforced concrete—realization in applications. In: Walraven

Stoelhorst (eds) Tailor made concrete structures. London: CRC Press, 2008, pp.357–362.

Cork

. Conductive fibres for electronic textiles. In: Dias

(ed.) Electronic textiles. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2015, pp.3–20.

Skorobogatiy

. Conductive polymer yarns for electronic textiles. In: Dias

(ed.) Electronic textiles. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2015; pp.21–53.

Sun

Bachilo

Weisman

. Carbon nanotubes as non-contact optical strain sensors in smart skins. J Strain Anal Eng Des 2015; 50: 505–512.

Miao

. Carbon nanotube yarns for electronic textiles. In: Dias

(ed.) Electronic textiles. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2015; pp.55–72.

Pei

H-F

Teng

Yin

J-H

. A review of previous studies on the applications of optical fiber sensors in geotechnical health monitoring. Measurement 2014; 58: 207–214.

10.

Huang

Liu

Sham

. Optical strain gauge vs. traditional strain gauges for concrete elasticity modulus determination. Opt: Int J Light Electron Opt 2010; 121: 1635–1641.

11.

Alagirusamy

Eichhoff

Gries

. Coating of conductive yarns for electro-textile applications. J Text Inst 2013; 104: 270–277.

12.

Guo

Berglin

Mattila

Improvement of electro-mechanical properties of strain sensors made of elastic-conductive hybrid yarns. Text Res J 2012; 82: 1937–1947.

13.

Negru

Buda

Avram

Electrical conductivity of woven fabrics coated with carbon black particles. Fibres Text East Eur 2012; 20: 53–56.

14.

Fugetsu

Akiba

Hachiya

. The production of soft, durable, and electrically conductive polyester multifilament yarns by dye-printing them with carbon nanotubes. Carbon 2009; 47: 527–530.

15.

Kim

Koncar

Devaux

. Electrical and morphological properties of PP and PET conductive polymer fibers. Synth Met 2004; 146: 167–174.

16.

Chen

P-W

Chung

DDL

. Carbon-fiber-reinforced concrete as an intrinsically smart concrete for damage assessment during dynamic loading. J Am Ceram Soc 1995; 78: 816–818.

17.

Chen

P-W

Chung

DDL

. Carbon fiber reinforced concrete for smart structures capable of non-destructive flaw detection. Smart Mater Struct 1993; 2: 22–30.

18.

Cho

Choi

JS.

Relationship between electrical resistance and strain of carbon fibers upon loading. J Appl Polym Sci 2000; 77: 2082–2087.

19.

Matzies

Christner

Horoschenkoff

. Carbon fibre sensor meshes: simulation and experiment. Comput Mater Sci 2012; 64: 122–125.

20.

Horoschenkoff

Muller

Kroll

. On the characterization on the piezoresistivity of embedded carbon fibres. In: International conference on composite materials (ICCM–17), Edinburgh, 27–31 July 2009.

21.

Horoschenkoff

Muller

Strossner

. Use of carbon-fibre sensors to determine the deflection of composite-beams. In: International conference on composite materials (ICCM–18), Jeju Island, South Korea, 21–26 August 2011.

22.

Christner

Horoschenkoff

Rapp

Longitudinal and transverse strain sensitivity of embedded carbon fibre sensors. J Compos Mater 2013; 47: 155–167.

23.

Nauman

Cristian

Koncar

Intelligent carbon fibre composite based on 3D-interlock woven reinforcement. Text Res J 2012; 82: 931–944.

24.

Goldfeld

Ben-Aarosh

Rabinovitch

. Integrated self-monitoring of carbon based textile reinforced concrete beams under repeated loading in the un-cracked region. Carbon 2016; 98: 238–249.

25.

Jakubinek

Johnson

White

. Thermal and electrical conductivity of array-spun multi-walled carbon nanotube yarns. Carbon 2012; 50: 244–248.

26.

Zhao

Zhang

Bradford

. Carbon nanotube yarn strain sensors. Nanotechnology 2010; 21: 305502.

27.

Abot

Alosh

Belay

Strain dependence of electrical resistance in carbon nanotube yarns. Carbon 2014; 70: 95–102.

28.

Abu Obaid

Heider

Gillespie

. Investigation of electro-mechanical behavior of carbon nanotube yarns during tensile loading. Carbon 2015; 93: 731–741.

29.

Stolyarov

Quadflieg

Gries

Effects of fabric structures on the tensile properties of warp-knitted fabrics used as concrete reinforcements. Text Res J 2015; 85: 1934–1945.

30.

Stolyarov

Quadflieg

Gries

. A study of warp-knitted fabric structure parameters affecting the mechanical properties of textile. In: International conference on composite materials, Copenhagen, 19–24 July 2015, paper no. 3111-2, pp.1–9.

Carbon rovings as strain sensors for structural health monitoring of engineering materials and structures

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References