Title:
Evaluating Surface-Breaking Cracks in Concrete Using Air-Coupled Sensors
Author(s):
Seong-Hoon Kee, Eulalio Fernandez-Gomez, and Jinying Zhu
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
108
Issue:
5
Appears on pages(s):
558-565
Keywords:
Air-coupled sensors; nondestructive test; surface-breaking cracks; surface wave transmission.
DOI:
10.14359/51683266
Date:
9/1/2011
Abstract:
The purpose of this research is to develop a rapid in-place nondestructive test (NDT) method to evaluate surface-breaking cracks in in-place concrete structures. Air-coupled sensors are used to measure surface wave transmission across surface-breaking cracks in concrete. The surface wave transmission (SWT) method is developed to determine crack depth and characterize cracking damage in concrete structures. In this study, the developed SWT method is used to identify and characterize cracks in three prestressed concrete beams with different degrees of deterioration caused by alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and delayed ettringite formation (DEF). The SWT measurement results are presented as transmission maps and compared with crack patterns and the severity of deterioration. The crack depths determined from the SWT test show good agreement with direct measurements from core samples. The findings demonstrate the potential of the air-coupled SWT method for the in-place evaluation of cracking damage in large concrete structures.