Tipping point analysis of cracking in reinforced concrete

In this work, we demonstrate that tipping point analysis of strain data can provide reactive and predictive indicators of cracking and structural transitions in a reinforced concrete system. The method is able to detect trend-driven transitions in a short time series of approximately 2000 datapoints, providing a clear indication of when a concrete beam under gradual bending progresses from a linear to a nonlinear strain response. The method is also able to provide an early warning signal of the appearance of bifurcations, such as cracks, with a forewarning of 200–500 datapoints. The method, which was originally developed for applications in geophysics, shows promising results in the area of structural health monitoring, in particular, for real-time observations of civil constructions. (paper)