TY - JOUR A1 - Shokouhi, Parisa A1 - Wolf, Julia A1 - Wiggenhauser, Herbert T1 - Detection of delamination in concrete bridge decks by joint amplitude and phase analysis of ultrasonic array measurements JF - Journal of bridge engineering N2 - The accuracy and precision of low-frequency (center frequency of approximately 55 kHz) ultrasonic testing for detection and characterization of delamination in concrete bridge decks were evaluated. A multiprobe ultrasonic testing system (with horizontally polarized shear-wave transducers) was used to detect built-in delamination defects of various size, depth, and severity (i.e., thickness) in a test specimen—a 6.1 m × 2.4 m × 216 mm (20 ft × 8 ft × 8.5 in.) reinforced concrete slab-built to simulate a concrete bridge deck. The collected data sets were reconstructed applying synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT). The reconstructed measurement results were then used to assess the condition of the concrete slab at individual points [point-by-point data collection and two-dimensional (2D) reconstruction] as well as along lines, where data were collected at smaller steps and reconstructed in a three-dimensional (3D) format. The local-phase information was also calculated, superimposed on the reconstructed images and used as complementary information in condition assessment. The precision and accuracy of condition assessments were evaluated. The results indicated that, using the multiprobe ultrasonic array, delamination defects as small as 30 cm² (1 ft²) could be reliably detected. Deep delaminations [i.e., those deeper than 150 mm (6 in.)] were directly detected and characterized, whereas shallow delaminations [shallower than 65 mm (2.5 in.)] were detected only indirectly. The precision of the measurements was demonstrated by comparing repeated measurements at several test points. Similar measurement results obtained on a delaminated portion of a real bridge deck support the conclusions of the validation study. KW - Concrete bridge deck KW - Bridge deck evaluation KW - Delamination KW - Nondestructive testing (NDT) KW - Ultrasonic testing PY - 2014 DO - https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)BE.1943-5592.0000513 SN - 1084-0702 VL - 19 IS - 3 SP - 04013005-1 - 04013005-11 PB - Soc. CY - Reston, Va. AN - OPUS4-31261 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wolf, Julia A1 - Mielentz, Frank A1 - Milmann, Boris A1 - Helmerich, Rosemarie A1 - Köpp, Christian A1 - Wiggenhauser, Herbert A1 - Kurz, J.H. A1 - Moryson, R.M. A1 - Samokrutov, A. A1 - Alekhin, S. G. A1 - Alver, Ninel A1 - Sazak, H.Ö. T1 - An ultrasound monitoring system for concrete structures T2 - Istanbul bridge conference 2014 (Proceedings) N2 - The research project "Ultrasonic Net for Concrete Monitoring (UNeCOM)" aims at developing a methodology for an embedded ultrasonic network for the condition assessment of infrastructure constructions. Civil engineering structures made of concrete, which are located in tectonically active regions or undergo special loading conditions, may require continuous monitoring. It is important to assess the condition of the building and its stability to recognise and classify the effect of a seismic event or evolving damage at early stages before failure occurs. Embedded ultrasonic sensors offer the possibility to detect changes in the material and degradation mechanisms from inside the structure in areas which are difficult or impossible to inspect otherwise. In contrast to conventional ultrasonic testing methods, where the concrete surfaces are scanned with ultrasound probes, this new approach uses sensors, which are embedded into concrete, eliminating the effect of variable coupling conditions between sensors and concrete. This method allows an integral detection of changes in the concrete structure, for example due to seismic activities, to detect mechanical impacts, as well as degradation of the material due to overloading. Such methods have great relevance especially for the monitoring of constructions like power plants, bridges, offshore structures and other structures with high technical safety requirements. The sensor network can be controlled remotely through the internet which is also being used for data transfer. The embedded sensor network is designed to monitor structural damage and concrete degradation globally with high sensitivity. T2 - Istanbul bridge conference 2014 CY - Istanbul, Turkey DA - 11.08.2014 KW - Ultrasound KW - Concrete KW - Monitoring PY - 2014 SN - 978-605-64131-6-2 SP - Paper 32, 1 EP - 9 AN - OPUS4-32028 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -