Study on Cement Curing Process Monitoring Based on Fiber Bragg Grating Sensing

ABSTRACT: The degree of cement hydration is a critical factor in determining the strength and durability of building structures. The hydration process within cement is influenced by various factors, such as external environmental conditions, material homogeneity, and the rate of hydration reactions. Consequently, assessing the hydration state of cement solely based on surface characteristics is insufficient for a comprehensive evaluation. Therefore, it is of significant importance to develop a technology capable of monitoring the hydration process inside cement in real-time. This paper presents a monitoring system based on a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) array sensor, designed for real-time monitoring of strain variations during the cement hydration process. The experimental results indicate that the maximum self-induced shrinkage strain along the XYZ axes are 361.534 με, 413.865 με, and 654.950 με, respectively. As the solidification process progresses, the strain signals observed, when they consistently approach a horizontal asymptote, can be regarded as an indicator of a complete cement setting. The data provides important experimental evidence for evaluating strain variations during the cement setting process, offering valuable technical support for further research on cement performance and structural health monitoring.