Pathologic Interpretation of Loading and Cracking Process of SCARC Specimens Using Fiber Bragg Gratings

An experimental procedure for load monitoring and fracture detection with fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensor arrays on a cylinder with backfilled material is described in this paper. This study was conducted as part of a coal-fire-energy byproduct mitigation technique, where incinerator ash was subjected to enhanced carbonation techniques to craft a material called ash carbon concrete (ACC). ACC is a dual porosity material constituted of variable amounts of incinerator ash, aluminum, carbon dioxide (CO₂), and water for the purpose of encouraging long-term CO₂ mineral sequestration. The simulated carbon-ash retention cylinder (SCARC) was created as a host cell for ACC and FBG monitoring. The optical strain sensors enable the archival of material forming and backfill interaction history. The test results indicate that SCARC can successfully capture the curing expansion and strain development rates of different ACC blends.