The proposed study explores the feasibility of detecting and quantifying corrosion and delamination (physical separation) at the interface between reinforcing steel bars and concrete using ultrasonic guided waves. The problem of corrosion of the reinforcing steel in structures has increased significantly in recent years. The emergence of this type of concrete deterioration, which was first observed in marine structures and chemical manufacturing plants, coincided with the increased applications of deicing salts (sodium and calcium chlorides) to roads and bridges during winter months in those states where ice and snow are of major concern. Concrete is strengthened by the inclusion of the reinforcement steel such as deformed or corrugated steel bars. Bonding between the two materials plays a vital role in maximizing performance capacity of the structural members. Durability of the structure is of concern when it is exposed to aggressive environments. Corrosion of reinforcing steel has led to premature deterioration of many concrete members before their design life is attained. It is therefore, important to be able to detect and measure the level of corrosion in reinforcing steel or delamination at the interface. The development and implementation of damage detection strategies, and the continuous health assessment of concrete structures then become a matter of utmost importance. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop a nondestructive testing technique to quantify the amount of corrosion in the reinforcing steel. The guided mechanical wave approach has been explored towards the development of such methodology. The use of an embedded ultrasonic network for monitoring corrosion in real structures is feasible due to its simplicity. The ultrasonic waves, specifically cylindrical guided waves can propagate a long distance along the reinforcing steel bars and are found to be sensitive to the interface conditions between steel bars and concrete. Ultrasonic transducers are used to launch and detect cylindrical guided waves along the steel bar.In this dissertation, in-situ corrosion monitoring technique for reinforced concrete is developed based on two methods - 1) variation of signal strength and 2) the time-of-flight (TOF) variations as the corroded member is loaded transversely. This is the first attempt ever to monitor corrosion inside concrete by measuring the change in the time of flight of guided waves along reinforcing bars as the concrete beam is subjected to bending. Advantages of corrosion monitoring by TOF change are discussed in the dissertation.

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Structural health monitoring (SHM) has become a strong national interest because of the need of reliable and accurate damage detection methods for aerospace, civil and mechanical engineering infrastructure. Health monitoring of these structures usually requires the sensors to have such features as large area coverage, maintenance free or minimum maintenance, ultra-low cost per measurement point, and capability of operation in harsh environments. Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) has attracted considerable interest for this application because of its compactness, electromagnetic immunity, and excellent multiplexing capability. Several FBG multiplexing techniques have been developed to increase the multiplexing number and further reduce the unit cost. To the author's best knowledge, the current demonstrated maximum multiplexing number are 800 FBG sensors in a single array using optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR), whose maximum fiber span is limited by the coherence length of light source. In this work, we proposed and demonstrated a wavelength-scanning time-division multiplexing (WSTDM) of 1000 ultra-weak FBGs for distributed temperature sensing. In comparison with the OFDR method, the WSTDM method distinguishes the sensors by different time delays, and its maximum operation distance, which is limited by the transmission loss of the fiber, can be as high as tens of kilometers. The strong multiplexing capability and low crosstalk of the ultra-weak FBG sensors was investigated through both theoretical analysis and experiment. An automated FBG fabrication system was developed for fast FBG fabrication. With this WSTDM method, we multiplexed 1000 ultra-weak FBGs for distributed temperature sensing. Besides the demonstrated temperature measurement, the reported method can also be applied to measure other parameters, such as strain, pressure. / Ph. D.