Reinforced concrete (RC) structures deteriorate and as a result crack due to extreme loading and (or) environmental conditions. Damage accumulation as such adversely affects the structure’s durability properties, impairing its service life. The intensity of cracking in an RC structure is usually regarded as the key criterion toward damage assessment and repair intervention. This paper presents the results of an experimental program in which the concrete strains of a small-scale RC slab sustaining in-service loads were monitored by traditional electrical strain gauges and distributed Brillouin fibre optic sensors in an attempt to detect damage due to crack formation. A comparison of these measurements with classical bending theory is also presented. The results show that distributed Brillouin fibre optic sensors can capture both tensile and compressive strains in concrete; however, the accuracy of their measurements is dependent on the proper installation of the sensors and the fibre length over which the strains are to be measured.
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