Smart sensing and automated fatigue warning in concrete anchorages using thermocouples and thermal imaging

Concrete anchorages are fundamental in modern construction technology, since structural connections enable flexible, rapid, and reversible on-site assembly. This study investigates system to automatically and timely detect fatigue-induced failure under cyclic loading on safety-critical chemical fastening systems using thermal sensors and automated computer vision. Twenty-one tensile tests (19 fatigue, 2 static) were conducted using thermocouples and infrared cameras. A real-time monitoring algorithm was developed to autonomously detect thermal anomalies and associate those to fatigue progression. In all cross-validated recordings, the system issued early warnings before failure, confirming its effectiveness. While single thermocouples proved unreliable due to environmental noise, the thermal image metrology system indicated high accuracy and effectiveness. The work advances automated inspection methods and intelligent failure alerting, based on non-contact sensing of dynamically loaded structural components. It supports predictive maintenance and long-term lifecycle monitoring, contributing to safer, more resilient constructed facilities through data-driven automation and real-time structural health monitoring. • Smart sesning of fatigue in structural steel-concrete connections • Early failure warning and risk mitigation of disproportionate damage or collapse • Thermal infrared imaging and computer vision for damage localization • Real-time anomaly detection using advanced sensor control algorithms • Structural monitoring innovation in dynamically loaded fastening systems