Experimental Methods to Detect and Quantify Damage in Restrained Concrete Ring Specimens

This paper describes the use of three experimental methods to detect shrinkage cracking in restrained ring specimens. These methods include monitoring the strain at the inner surface of the restraining steel ring, using passive acoustic emission, and measuring the electrical resistance of conductive materials that are applied to the surface of the mortar. The methods for detecting cracking are compared and their advantages and limitations are discussed. Both plain and steel fiber reinforced (2% steel fiber by volume) mortar were evaluated in this study. The time of through cracking detected by the three methods corresponds to the time of visible cracking. In the mixtures containing fibers the time of through cracking is delayed significantly when compared to the plain systems. The delay in the age of through cracking can be explained by the role of fibers in arresting the cracks as they develop and their role in transferring stress across the crack width that keeps the cracks from opening. The passive acoustic emission data indicates substantial damage development before a through crack forms. The time of through cracking can be detected using conductive surfaces with a sudden increase in resistance of these conductive elements. Cracking can be detected using conductive coatings when the crack is 0.02 mm or larger. Specimens with different degrees of restraint show through cracking at approximately the same stress level; however, the age at which cracking occurs decreases as the degree of restraint increases. This can be attributed to the increased micro-cracking (i.e., damage and precritical crack growth) as confirmed with acoustic emission data.