The influence of cementitious building materials on polymeric surfaces of embedded optical fibers for sensors

Polymeric-coated optical fibers usually used for nondestructive monitoring of structures and for deformation measurement were embedded in cement mortar bodies and, in a separate test series, exposed to concrete-specific chemical attacks. Microstructure studies after four weeks and five months revealed that all of the coatings investigated changed depending on the influence of the mortar or of exposure to chemical attack of alkaline solutions. Results will be presented on the basis of photomicrographs by SEM and observations of microsections.>