Comprehensive assessment and monitoring of bond deterioration in GFRP-reinforced concrete beams using guided wave and acoustic emission techniques

The debonding between glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebars and concrete significantly reduces the bond strength and jeopardizes the safety and durability of GFRP-reinforced concrete (GFRP-RC) structures. As a result, it is imperative to monitor the structural integrity of infrastructures being built using these composite materials in structural elements during their service lives. Previous studies have primarily focused on artificially induced debonding scenarios for guided wave (GW)-based monitoring, which has resulted in an inability to capture debonding events that arise naturally due to external loads. Furthermore, flexural bond test investigations simulating real loading scenarios in GFRP-RC structures have not been linked with acoustic emission (AE) and GW monitoring. The present study addresses these research gaps by comprehensively examining the flexural bond integrity in GFRP-RC structural elements subjected to realistic loading conditions using a hybrid approach combining GW and AE as active and passive structural health monitoring techniques, respectively. A series of bond tests, conforming to RILEM specifications, have been performed to investigate various parameters (including rebar surface characteristics, embedment length, and confinement conditions) that affect the flexural bond degradation response of GFRP-RC members. Damage indices based on GW and AE signal parameters have been developed to evaluate the characteristics of confined and unconfined specimens distinctly. It has been observed from the test results that the L (0,3) GW mode is more sensitive to debonding than other modes and that a threshold of 25% has been established for the GW damage index to denote significant bond damage. Furthermore, AE damage indices have provided valuable insights into concrete damage, including splitting and damage at the rebar-concrete interface. Thus, a thorough understanding of bond deterioration in GFRP-RC structures has been developed by combining GW and AE health monitoring techniques, with implications for enhancing structural safety and durability.