This article presents an application of an active all-optical photoacoustic sensing system with four elements for steel rebar corrosion monitoring. The sensor utilized a photoacoustic mechanism of gold nanocomposites to generate 8 MHz broadband ultrasound pulses in 0.4 mm compact space. A nanosecond 532 nm pulsed laser and 400 μm multimode fiber were employed to incite an ultrasound reaction. The fiber Bragg gratings were used as distributed ultrasound detectors. Accelerated corrosion testing was applied to four sections of a single steel rebar with four different corrosion degrees. Our results demonstrated that the mass loss of steel rebar displayed an exponential growth with ultrasound frequency shifts. The sensitivity of the sensing system was such that 0.175 MHz central frequency reduction corresponded to 0.02 g mass loss of steel rebar corrosion. It was proved that the all-optical photoacoustic sensing system can actively evaluate the corrosion of steel rebar via ultrasound spectrum. This multipoint all-optical photoacoustic method is promising for embedment into a concrete structure for distributed corrosion monitoring.

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of a novel fiber optic ultrasonic sensing system based on the photoacoustic (PA) ultrasound generation principle and Fabry-Perot interferometer principle for high temperature monitoring applications. The velocity of a sound wave traveling in a medium is proportional to the medium’s temperature. The fiber optic ultrasonic sensing system was applied to measure the change of the velocity of sound. A fiber optic ultrasonic generator and a Fabry-Perot fiber sensor were used as the signal generator and receiver, respectively. A carbon black-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) material was utilized as the photoacoustic material for the fiber optic ultrasonic generator. Two tests were performed. The system verification test proves the ultrasound sensing capability. The high temperature test validates the high temperature measurement capability. The sensing system survived 700 °C. It successfully detects the ultrasonic signal and got the temperature measurements. The test results agreed with the reference sensor data. Two potential industry applications of fiber optic ultrasonic sensing system are, it could serve as an acoustic pyrometer for temperature field monitoring in an industrial combustion facility, and it could be used for exhaust gas temperature monitoring for a turbine engine.

Detection of early-stage corrosion on slender steel members is crucial for preventing buckling failures of steel structures. An active photoacoustic fiber optic sensor (FOS) system is reported herein for the early-stage steel corrosion detection of steel plates and rebars using surface ultrasonic waves. The objective of this study is to investigate a potential method for detecting surface corrosion/rust of steel rods using numerically simulated surface ultrasonic waves. The finite element method (FEM) was applied in the simulation of propagating ultrasonic waves on steel rod models. The pitch-catch mode of damage detection was adopted, in which one source (transmitter) and one sensor (receiver) were considered. In this research, radial displacements at the receiver were simulated and analyzed by short-time Fourier transform (STFT) for detecting, locating, and quantifying surface rust located between the transmitter and the receiver. From our time domain and frequency domain analyses, it was found that the presence, location, and dimensions (length, width, and depth) of surface rust can be estimated by ultrasonic wave propagation.

Detection of early stage corrosion on slender steel members is crucial for preventing buckling failures of steel structures. An active photoacoustic fiber optic sensors (FOS) system has been reported for early stage steel corrosion detection of steel plates and rebars using surface ultrasonic waves. The objective of this paper is to investigate the surface corrosion/rust detection problem on steel rods using numerically simulated surface ultrasonic waves. The finite element method (FEM) is applied in simulating the propagation of ultrasonic waves on steel rod models. Transmission mode of damage detection is adopted, in which one source (transmitter) and one sensor (receiver) are considered. In this research, radial displacements at the receiver were simulated and analyzed by short-time Fourier transform (STFT) for detecting, locating, and quantifying a surface rust located between the transmitter and the receiver. From our time domain and frequency domain analyses, it is found that the presence, location, and dimensions (length, width, and depth) of surface rust can be estimated by ultrasonic waves propagating through the surface rust.