Use of Distributed Optical Fibre to Monitor the Crack Propagation of an Adhesively Bonded Joint During an ENF Test

Abstract

The floating production, storage and offloading units (FPSO) being generally in a tropical area, makes corrosion a fundamental ageing problem of these steel structures. Therefore, there is a strong need for proposing repair solutions having low impact on their exploitation. The owner of these units are highly interested in the development of “cold repair” in contrast with “hot works” which require to stop the production for security risks, like adhesively bonded FRP (Fibre Reinforced Polymer) patch which requires additional development, in particular in the design step. The design of these reinforcements needs a complete understanding of the mechanical state of the patch which is based on the different materials and interfaces properties. Fracture mechanics seems an interesting option to express the mechanical state of the patch and more particularly the risk to undergo interlaminar fracture or steel interface debonding failure before materials failure. The experimental definition of the required design values for such an approach (critical toughnesses) are generally obtained with common tests such as DCB (Double cantilever beam) or ENF (End notch flexure) tests.

The presented study is focused on the determination of the critical toughness in mode II through ENF (End Notched Flexure) test which can be done following some standards, such as ASTM D7905. A distributed optical fibre was used to verify the correct determination of the initial crack length, to determine the crack propagation during the test, and to monitor the fracture process zone length. The currently used methods, such as visual observation or Digital Image Correlation (DIC) of the crack front at the border of the sample, may indeed induce error if the crack is not straight. To compare these methods, the realized test was monitored using a distributed optical fibre placed in the centre of the lap width, in and on the specimen. Firstly, the issues related to the integration of this continuous optical fibre will be raised (insertion, precision resolution, measurement noise). Then, some experimental investigations will be described presenting different monitoring strategies using continuous optical fibre measurement and Digital Image Correlation technique (DIC). The obtained results will be analyzed focusing on the proper determination of the critical toughness of the adhesive. This will then be used to design and optimize the monitoring strategy of a wider experimental campaign.