A cost-effective stereo camera-based system for measuring crack propagation in fibre-reinforced concrete

This paper shows a new low-cost technology for the measurement of crack propagation in quasi-fragile materials based on a stereo pair of cameras and LED light spots. The two cameras record the displacement experienced by a series of LED white lights. For each frame, the X , Y and Z 3D coordinates of all the centroids of the LED points are obtained. From this information, it is possible to determine the variation of the distance between any two of them. In this case, 2 strips of 12 LED lights each were arranged in such a way that the points of both strips coincided in pairs in height. The algorithm made it possible to monitor the increase in distance that occurred between each pair of lights at the same height. The paper shows the mathematical basis of this technological solution. A test has been carried out by installing this system in a concrete cube 150 mm side and subjected to a wedge-splitting test. The results show that it is possible to monitor the crack propagation (position of the crack front) during the test and to know the crack width too. At present, the accuracy of this technique is only limited by the camera resolution and the computer processing capability.