Measurement of temperature profile of concrete structures with embedded fiber Bragg grating sensors and thermocouples

It is known that certain design consideration must be given to the concrete structures to cater for possible ambient temperature variations. The thermal stress that results from these changes can cause damage in concrete structures ifthey are restrained or ignored in the design stage. The thermal effects in concrete structures are mainly due to the surrounding environmental conditions and some other special effects, such as the heat of hydration during construction and casting of the bitumen. In this paper, we present our preliminary results on monitoring the non-linear temperature profiles of simulated bridge decks due to various environmental contributing factors using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors and thermocouples. We will also present the data on the variations of the temperature profiles in the concrete due to different thickness of the bitumen topping.