In concrete pavements, one of the main deteriorations and damages is tensile cracking, which can destroy concrete pavement frame when sub surface cracks propagate to the surface because it induces water penetration in pavement structure and foundation. However, detecting the propagation, especially the crack length, of hidden cracks inside pavements is very challenging. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation conducted to detect crack length in concrete using point strain sensors in the bottom of the simulated pavements in a bending test with four-point loading. The linear elastic fracture mechanics is used in this study to calculate the crack lengths based on the collected data from point sensors. Results for the crack length detection in experiments showed a measurement accuracy of 88.85%, 87.7%, and 81.08 % for the three specimens tested, respectively. This study provides an alternative technique to detect hidden bottom-up cracks in concrete pavements.
Bottom-up crack may occur in concrete pavement with the increase of loads by traffic and environmental effect. Cracking in concrete pavements would produce serious damages in pavements since it induces water penetration in pavement structure and foundation. However, currently, most of the distress detection system available in market can only detect the surface cracks show up. Cracks hidden under the surface, especially, bottom-up cracks in pavements are very challenging to be detected. This paper introduces potentials to use in-pavement point sensors to detect the existence of bottom–up cracks and characterize them for future maintenance decisions. The stress intensity principal is used in this study to determine the locations and lengths of cracks. Upon validation, this study will significantly impact the current pavement detection practice to detect hidden bottom-up cracks.
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