ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Beams that are loaded in transverse direction are one of the main structural elements used in reinforced concrete structures. Bending beams are used, for example, in bridge girders or joists. The strength related failure modes at maximum loading can be divided into bending and shear failure that could occur with or without indication. Conventional design concepts used in practice for designing structural elements subjected to bending aim at failure modes with sufficient indication (e.g. large deflections or cracks), as it occurs in the case of secondary flexure-compression-failure. These indicators can also be used to identify structural changes of civil infrastructure systems (e.g. bridges) using non-destructive testing methods for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). However, profound knowledge on the determining failure modes of bending beams is required for the reliable application of structural health monitoring. Therefore, resulting effects of different thermal and mechanical loads on the response of a structure are investigated by means of a bridge demonstrator. The results of this investigation are used for developing a monitoring system. Different non-destructive testing (NDT) methods have been used for analyzing the deformation behavior of a reinforced concrete beam in bending. The suitability of the different measuring techniques will be discussed by means of the obtained experimental results. For this purpose, the deformation behavior of a reinforced concrete beam having a span of 2.75 m was investigated in a four-point bending flexural test at laboratory scale. The focus is on the characterization of determining failure modes by the NDT methods and the comparison with classical measuring techniques (e.g. deformation measurements by displacement transducers). The bending tests have been accompanied by Acoustic Emission analysis (AE), optical deformation measurements using Stereophotogrammetry (SP) and Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The conducted tests have shown that the three-dimensional detection of deformations and resulting strains with optical techniques is beneficial for analyzing the damage mechanism of loaded structures and related crack formation and propagation. Optical techniques can be supplemented by acoustic emission testing which gives detailed information on crack formation and progressing damage. The combination of both techniques offers the application as efficient monitoring system for larger structures.
