A study on thermal self-monitoring of carbon fiber reinforced concrete

Carbon fiber reinforced concrete (CFRC) is an intrinsically smart material that can sense not only compressive or tensile stress, but also temperature . The thermal self-monitoring ability is associated with the Seebeck effect . An experimental study was made to examine the relationship between the te mperature differential (Delta T) and thermoelectric force (TEF)-its sensiti vity and repeatability, its response time and the influence of ambient temp erature (T-a) on TEF. The results show that TEF is proportional to Delta T over a wide range of temperature, and the thermal self-monitoring CFRC poss esses high sensitivity and good repeatability. The T-a has no influence on TEF. Although the response time of CFRC is not fast enough because of its l ow heat conductivity, it can be used as a thermal sensor embedded in massiv e concrete structures, such as water darns and bridges, where the temperatu re changes slowly. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.