Experimental characterization of a novel combined composite reinforced mortar - fibre Bragg grating technology for the retrofit and control of existing structures

This article investigates the potential of a novel integrated system for the strengthening and monitoring of existing structures. The proposed technology combines Composite Reinforced Mortar (CRM) reinforcements and Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors and is named as CRM-FBG. Direct tensile tests were conducted as the first step of prototype development and were aimed at evaluating the performance and feasibility of the CRM-FBG system. Measurements provided by FBG sensors were compared to Digital Image Correlation data. The outcomes of the laboratory experiments showed the reliability of the proposed technology, with interesting prospective applications for the retrofit and structural health monitoring of the built heritage.