Speaker
Description
The evolution of mechanical strength in concrete during curing is a vital aspect in assessing structural integrity and quality control of concrete. A Mach-Zehnder Interferometric (MZI) technique was employed for the non-destructive assessment of compressive strength development in unreinforced concrete beams. Low- and high-strength concrete beams and cubes were cast, with a single-mode fibre (SMF) embedded at the centre of each beam. The samples were cured in a temperature-controlled water tank, and compressive strength was continuously monitored in each mixture for 28 days. The logarithmic slopes derived from the MZI-derived compressive strength development obtained a strength gain sensitivity of 5.373 MPa/ln(days) and 19.635 MPa/ln(days) for the low- and high-strength mixtures, respectively. Standard destructive cube-testing method achieved a strength gain sensitivity of 4.782 and 18.178 MPa/ln(days), for the low- and high-strength mixtures, respectively. The increased sensitivity to strength gain in the MZI system confirms the trustworthiness of its embedded sensing arm as a non-destructive instrument for assessing in-situ strength development across varying mixture qualities.
| Apply for student award at which level: | PhD |
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| Consent on use of personal information: Abstract Submission | Yes, I ACCEPT |