Author

Jonas Kavi

Date of Graduation

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Committee Chair

Udaya B Halabe

Committee Co-Chair

Hota V GangaRao

Committee Member

Hema J Siriwardane

Abstract

Reinforced concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials for infrastructure applications across the world due to its reasonable durability and competitive cost. One of the major concerns with reinforced concrete is the deterioration caused by premature corrosion of embedded steel reinforcement under the influence of moisture, chlorides, and oxygen in the field environment. Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP), a material with many engineering properties better than concrete and steel, is increasingly being used in the rehabilitation of aging infrastructure and the construction of new ones.;The need for maintenance and repair of bridges, buildings and other infrastructure for their safety require effective monitoring and evaluation to determine the location and severity/rate of deterioration. Several techniques exist for monitoring corrosion in reinforced concrete. These techniques are primarily based on monitoring of concrete resistivity, moisture content, electric potential, or change in resistance of an embedded element. Most of these existing techniques require the structural member to be accessible for scanning operations. Also, many of these techniques are not applicable for monitoring corrosion in structures with FRP shells/jackets and/or wraps covering the concrete surface.;The objective of this research was to develop a low cost and durable electrical resistivity sensor that can be embedded in any type of reinforced concrete structure, with or without FRP wraps. This was achieved by designing a low cost sensor that can measure electrical resistivity of concrete and can be used to assess the moisture content. This study utilized the electrical resistivity sensor in addition to commercially available temperature/humidity sensor for determining the potential for corrosion in the structure. Calibration curves were developed for data interpretation using these sensors. The sensors were then installed inside field columns during a bridge rehabilitation project in East Lynn, West Virginia, to collect data on the potential for further corrosion of embedded steel within the concrete columns of the bridge after the rehabilitation work. Data from these sensors indicate that there is no corrosion activity in the steel pile encased in concrete during the first year following the structural rehabilitation.

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