Analysis of Long-Term Prestress Loss in Prestressed Concrete (PC) Structures Using Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) Sensor-Embedded PC Strands

This study aims to develop a prestressed concrete steel (PC) strand with an embedded optical Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor, which has been developed by the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology since 2013. This new strand is manufactured by replacing the steel core of the normal PC strand with a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) rod with excellent tensile strength and durability. Because this new strand is manufactured using the pultrusion method, which is a composite material manufacturing process, with an optical fiber sensor embedded in the inner center of the CFRP Rod, it ensures full composite action as well as proper function of the sensor. In this study, a creep test for maintaining a constant load and a relaxation test for maintaining a constant displacement were performed on the proposed sensor-type PC strand. Each of the two tests was conducted for more than 1000 h, and the long-term performance verification of the sensor-type PC strand was only completed by comparing the performance with that of a normal PC strand. The test specimens were fabricated by applying an optical fiber sensor-embedded PC strand, which had undergone long-term performance verification tests, to a reinforced concrete beam. Depending on whether grout was injected in the duct, the specimens were classified into composite and non-composite specimens. A hydraulic jack was used to prestress the fabricated beam specimens, and the long-term change in the prestress force was observed for more than 1600 days using the embedded optical fiber sensor. The experimental results were compared with the analytical results to determine the long-term prestress loss obtained through finite-element analysis based on various international standards