Autonomous healing by vascular networks: tracking of cracks interaction by Ultrasounds and Acoustic Emission
Eva Vangansbeke, Yasmina Shields, Nele De Belie, Kim Van Tittelboom & Eleni Tsangouri
Abstract: The tracking of healing on concrete slabs where dense crack patterns are formed under bending is reported using Acoustic Emission (AE) and Ultrasound Pulse Velocity (UPV). Additively manufactured polymeric networks are designed to distribute a polyurethane agent through capillary actions and under pressure to the open cracks, formed in the slabs. It is shown that the crack pattern is controlled by the geometry of the vascular networks that are positioned near the steel reinforcement. The activation of both conventional linear and interlinked web-shaped networks is monitored by AE, however in both cases the load at which the initial cracks form is lower in series with embedded networks compared to the reference series, an indication of an overall weakening effect. The area where the healing agent circulates is larger (300x400 mm2) than past tests on beams, but only local healing is evident by UPV mapping. An indirect proof of cracks filling with stiffened agent is provided by the AE pencil-lead breaking test, as the amplitude recovery after healing can be linked to crack closure. This preliminary work evaluates the design of 3D printed vascular networks, but also explores the potential of AE and UPV as inspection tools in healing studies.
Reference of this article:Autonomous healing by vascular networks: tracking of cracks interaction by Ultrasounds and Acoustic Emission Eva Vangansbeke, Yasmina Shields, Nele De Belie, Kim Van Tittelboom and Eleni Tsangouri MATEC Web Conf., 378 (2023) 04003
Affiliations:
Eva Vangansbeke and Eleni Tsangouri: Dept. Mechanics of Materials and Constructions (MeMC), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
Yasmina Shields, Nele De Belie and Kim Van Tittelboom: Magnel-Vandepitte Laboratory, Department of Structural Engineering and Building Materials, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium