E3S Web of Conferences 97, 03008 (2019) https://doi.org/10.

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DIC (Digital Image Correlation) method in the

research of RC beams strengthened with PBO-
FRCM materials
Dorota Marcinczak*and Tomasz Trapko
Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Poland

Abstract. The article presents tests of a reinforced concrete beam

strengthened in a shear with PBO-FRCM composite materials.
Measurement of the deformation of the composite was carried out using
two methods - with strain gauges and the optical DIC method (Digital
Image Correlation). The DIC method consists in taking a series of
photographs of the tested object before and during loading. The surface of
the tested element must have randomly spaced spots that are applied to the
object before measurement. During the study, the cameras monitor the
shifting of spots against each other, which in comparison to the reference
image before loading gives information about strains and stresses of the
tested element. Measurements of deformation of composite materials using
strain gauges are difficult to clearly analyse, because the strain gauge is in
a specific, limited place, which does not correspond to the work of the
entire composite. In addition, the strain gauge tends to break at the place of
crack. The article discusses this problem by presenting the results of
deformation of PBO-FRCM composite meshes measured in two mentioned
ways, their comparison and discussion of results.

1. Introduction
Strengthening of reinforced concrete structures with FRCM (Fabric-Reinforced
Cementitious Matrix) composite materials is an increasingly recognized way of repairing
existing structures. This system can be used in environments exposed to high temperatures
or fire, and in historical objects. It is related to the use of cement mortar as a matrix, This is
related to the use of cement mortar as a matrix, the task of which is to combine fibers with
each other and with concrete.
The main disadvantage of cement mortar is its granularity, due to which the mortar can
not connect all the fibers together, which results in the formation of slip between the fibers
and the premature debonding of the fiber mesh from the matrix. Due to the complex nature
of the work of this composite, it is difficult to clearly define the design guidelines.
Therefore, many researchers around the world were taking up the topic of strengthening
reinforced concrete elements for bending, shear and compression in order to thoroughly
investigate the mechanisms involved in this type of reinforcement [1-6].

*
Corresponding author: [email protected]

© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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The mechanism of destruction and damage development in elements strengthened with

FRCM composites has a local character and starts in places weakened by defects of the
material, for example weaker fiber coverings with mortar. The feature that most interests
researchers is the amount of strain that occurs at the time of debonding or slip of the fibers
in the composite, because it is a necessary value to determine the effectiveness of
reinforcement. Measurements of deformation of composite materials using strain gauges
are difficult to analyse, because the strain gauges are located in a specific place on the
surface of the composite, and allow to determine deformations only on a length equal to its
length (often 20-50 mm). This does not translate into the work of the entire composite,
because the destruction may begin outside the place of applying a strain gauge. What's
more, the strain gauge very often ruptures at the place of crack, which makes it impossible
to read the deformations during the further part of the test.
In tests carried out on reinforced concrete elements strengthened with FRCM
composites, the strain gauges can be replaced with the DIC (Digital Image Correlation)
method, which allows monitoring the entire element and determining the places where the
destruction begins. This paper presents a description of the DIC method and the results of
an experimental study conducted on reinforced concrete T-shaped beams strengthened in a
shear with PBO-FRCM composites. The aim of the research was to compare two methods
of measuring the deformation of the composite, using strain gauges and the DIC method.

2. Digital Image Correlation (DIC)

Digital Image Correlation is an innovative non-contact, full-field surface, optical technique
for measuring displacement and converting it into strain. The measurement consists in
making a series of digital photographs of the tested object before and during loading and
tracking the movement of the naturally occurring, or applied surface pattern. The surface of
the tested element must be properly prepared by applying a random speckle pattern on it,
using airbrush, spray aerosol, transferable stickers or rubber stamp. The first reference
photograph is usually made at zero load of the element, before starting the tests. Next the
image surface is divided into subsets – a series of boxes containing n x n pixels ,with a
recognizable pattern in each. During the test a cross correlation technique is used to analyse
how each subset has moved. The measurement results are obtained in pixels, then they are
scaled to mm using special boards with the pattern applied, whose image is registered in the
reference photograph (Fig. 1).
Images can be obtained from a variety of sources, including CCD cameras, digital
cameras, macroscopes and microscopes. Typical hardware for 2-D image correlation
systems includes a CCD (or CMOS) camera, a computer system with digital image
acquisition components, a sturdy tripod with mounting head and a lamp emitting
monochromatic light, that limits glare on the tested element. 3-D measurements require two
cameras. The cameras are mounted on a tripod with a transverse beam on which their
spacing can be adjusted, which depends on the size of the area under examination. For the
measurement to be correct, both cameras must be directed to the same area of the tested
element.

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Fig. 1. Calibration using a reference plate.

Fig. 2. Elements of DANTEC DIC system – two cameras on a tripod [9].

3. Experimental research
Two 2300 mm long RC T-beams with 150×400 mm in cross section were subjected to tests.
One beam was a reference beam, without strengthening, and the second one was shear-
strengthened with a PBO (p-Phenylene Benzobis Oxazole) fibre mesh bedded in mineral
mortar (PBO-FRCM). Flexural reinforcement in the form of 5 bars 20 mm in diameter was
designed for prevent destruction due to bending before exhausting the shear strength.
Stirrups in the form of bars 8 mm in diameter were spaced at every 250 mm along the
whole length of the beam (Fig. 3).

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Fig. 3. The scheme of steel reinforcement and cross-section of beams.

3.1. Material properties and test setup

In order to determine the strength qualities of concrete the cylindrical specimens were made
with height of 300 mm and 150 mm in diameter. The following compressive strength and
modulus of elasticity of the concrete were defined from the tests:
1) mean cylinder compressive strength of the concrete fcm,cyl=44.75 MPa,
2) mean modulus of elasticity of the concrete Ecm=32.13 GPa.
What is more, strength parameters of reinforcing bars were also defined:
1) mean yield stress of steel bars fym=526.2 MPa,
2) mean ultimate strength of steel bars ftm=626.3 MPa,
3) mean modulus of elasticity of bars Esm=206.7 GPa.
The beams were shear reinforced with a mesh made of PBO fibre (p-Phenylene
Benzobis Oxazole) Ruredil X Mesh Gold and mineral mortar Ruredil X Mesh M750. The
main mechanical properties of PBO fibers, determined according to manufacturer, were
collected in the Table 1. In the table is also reported the mechanical properties of the PBO-
FRCM system, adopted from the ACI549.4R-13.

Table 1. Mechanical and geometrical parameters of the FRCM strengthening materials [7].

Tensile strength Young modulus Ultimate tensile Thickness of

ffz [MPa] Ef [GPa] strain ɛ [%] composite [mm]
PBO fibre mesh 5800 270 2.15 0.0455
PBO-FRCM system 1664 137 1.76 -

The elements were continuously loaded to failure, in a three-point bending with

concentrated force placed in the middle of the span (Fig. 4). Deformations of concrete, steel
and composites were measured using strain gauges. On the outer stirrups made of PBO
mesh, the 50 mm long strain gauges were glued at half the height of the beams according to
the main direction of the fibers (Fig. 4 – strain gauges 10-15). Strain gauges were also
glued to the place of anchors on both sides of the beam (Figure 4 – strain gauges 20-25).
The strain gauges on anchors were 25 mm long.
Half of the beam span was also analyzed by the DIC method. Due to the construction of
a testing machine, that has a pillar in the middle of the span, it was not possible to use the
DIC method to analyze the whole beam, because the image from both cameras would not
show the same area. The right half of the beam, from the point of concentrated force to the
support, was prepared for DIC measurements, by whitening the concrete surface with lime
and spraying it with a black spray to give the speckle pattern. The resulting spots on the
concrete surface are shown in Fig. 5, and the test stand in Fig. 6.

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Fig. 4. The scheme of shear strengthening with end-anchorage.

Fig. 5. Speckle pattern on the surface of the tested element.

3.2. Shear strengthening

The beam was strengthened with one layer of PBO mesh with associated cement mortar,
discontinuously with 150 mm wide FRCM strips with spacing of 100 mm. FRCM
strengthening was applied on the both sides and bottom of the web. This type of
strengthening configuration is called U-wrapped. Before strengthening, surface of the beam
was cleaned of laitance, dusted and washed. The corners of the beam were rounded in the
areas where the outer composite stirrups were applied, in order to prevent the local stress
concentration. The surfaces of the web were saturated with water for 15 min prior the
placing the FRCM strips. Then first layer of the mortar was applied and fabric strips were
placed. The PBO mesh was applied after application of the first mortar layer and then
pressed slightly into the mortar. In case of anchoring, 20×20 mm cuts were made under the
slab. After shear strengthening, the ends of the PBO strips were wound on a GFRP bar and
glued in a cut under the shelf. The bar had a length equal to the length of the beam and
together with the PBO strips were covered with an outer layer of mortar (Fig.4)

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Fig. 6. Test setup.

4. Experimental results and discussion

The reference beam reached an ultimate load of 453.67 kN and failed in a shear after the
formation of main diagonal crack on the shear span (Fig. 7a).
The strengthened beam also failed in a shear with formation of main diagonal crack, and
reached an ultimate load of 527.40 kN. This diagonal crack developed on the half of the
span, which was not included in the range of DIC cameras (Fig. 7b). Comparing the shear
capacity of the strengthened beam to the capacity of the control beam, a load increase of
16% was obtained.

Fig. 7. Beam failure a) reference beam, b) strengthened beam.

The failure mechanism of strengthened beam consisted in debonding of the PBO mesh,
which was accompanied by the development of diagonal cracks. There was no fiber rupture
in any of the PBO-FRCM strips. The detachment had a local character and started at the
place of the diagonal crack. Just before the destruction, there was also a sudden
development of the diagonal crack on the shelf, which was not strengthened. As the load

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increased, the crack reached the anchorage and then ran along the GFRP bar. On the PBO
mesh strips, the outer layer of cement mortar has also scratched due to the slip between the
fibers and the matrix. This phenomenon is characteristic for FRCM materials in which
mortar is used as a matrix and cannot be obtained such a good coverage of the all fibres by
the matrix.

4.1 Analysis of the deformation of the composite

The maximum strain of the composite measured using strain gauges glued in the middle of
the height of the PBO strip was 3.5‰, which means the use of its total capacity at about
20% (Table 1). At the anchorage, strains measured using strain gauges were at a maximum
of 12‰, which corresponds to 68% of the total PBO-FRCM deformation limit (Table 1).
These are values corresponding to the part of the span in which the destruction occurred. In
the second part of the span, the maximum strain of the composite were 0.43‰ for the strain
gauge number 15 (Fig. 4), and on the anchorage, 5.97‰ for the strain gauge number 24 .
An advantage of the DIC method is the ability to analyze deformations over the entire
surface of the element. Thanks to this, it is possible to observe the development of cracks
and the distribution of deformations on the entire composite strip. During the test, it was
shown that diagonal cracks passed under the PBO strips and developed between them (Fig.
8).

Fig. 8. Image from DIC cameras showing the development of diagonal cracks in the beam during test.
On the PBO-FRCM strips the first deformations occur in the place of the diagonal crack
and then they are redistributed along the strip height. The maximum strains measured using
the DIC method reached a value of more than 5‰ both at the anchor point for strip with
number 13 and on the middle strip with number 14 (Fig. 9). On the basis of images from
DIC cameras, it can be concluded that the maximum deformations of the composite
occurred in other places than the strain gauges were glued, for example on the edge of the
central strip at the place of diagonal crack, and on the left side of the anchor on the strip
number 13. At the places where the strain gauges were glued, i.e. half the height and width
of each PBO strip, very small deformations were recorded. These results are consistent with
those of the strain gauges. In this case, the deformations obtained from strain gauges were
not adequate to the real effort of the composite. In the case of testing beam with shear

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strengthening, the DIC method allows for a better and more accurate analysis of the work
of the composite, its effort and location of the most stressed places.

Fig. 9. Image from DIC cameras showing the deformation of PBO-FRCM composite strips with
increasing load.

5. Summary and conclusions

The mechanism of failure and the development of damage for beams strengthened in a
shear with PBO-FRCM composite materials is local in places weakened by defects in the
material and in places of the diagonal cracks. For this reason, the analysis of the
deformation of the strengthened elements is often difficult with commonly used strain
gauges. A good alternative to strain gauges is the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) method,
which allows effective measurements of the deformation of the entire element. The DIC
method allows to determine the nature of the work of the entire surface of the tested
element, giving the possibility to determine the most strenuous places, and deformations of
composite and concrete. Using the DIC method, it is possible to determine what the course
of the diagonal crack will look like before it is created, and it can be monitored throughout
the research. By registering the changes taking place in the strengthened element during the
entire loading, the mechanism of FRCM composites can be better understood.
Analyzing the deformation of the composite obtained in the research, it can be noticed
that using strain gauges failed to determine the maximum deformations, because the strain
gauges were in places where the deformations were smaller. Thanks to the DIC method, it
was possible to determine the maximum effort of PBO fibers and show that in each strip of
the PBO-FRCM composite as the load increases, there is a redistribution of deformations

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along its length and height, and stress concentration occurs at the edges of the strips at the
intersection with the diagonal cracks.

The work was created as part of the research project PWr-RUDN 2017, carried out by the Wrocław
University of Science and Technology together with the Russian University of Friendship of Nations
in Moscow.

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Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) Systems for Repair and Strengthening
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