Beim Einsatz von Ultraschallecho-Methoden in der zerstörungsfreien Prüfung im Bauwesen stellt die Untersuchung von Spannbetonkonstruktionen eine der anspruchsvollsten Aufgaben für Wissenschaft und Technik dar. Das inhomogene Gefüge aus Beton, schlaffer Bewehrung und – aus Hüllrohr, Spannlitzen und Verpressmörtel bestehenden – Spanngliedern erfordert eine Optimierung von Messtechnik und Auswertesoftware, um verwertbare Aussagen zum Verpresszustand der Hüllrohre zu erhalten. Der vorliegende Beitrag beschreibt die Grundlagen der bildgebenden Darstellung von US-Echo-Daten, die Untersuchung und Datenauswertung an Probekörpern sowie ein Fallbeispiel aus der Praxis. Dabei erweist sich insbesondere die Phasenauswertung zur qualitativen Unterscheidung von Reflektoren als nützlich. Das Prinzip wird erläutert, und es werden Teile eines interaktiven, auf der SAFT-Methode basierenden Softwarepakets vorgestellt. Mit dieser Software können die großflächig gewonnenen Ultraschalldaten auf herkömmlichen PCs oder mobilen Computern zu zwei- und dreidimensionalen Rekonstruktionen berechnet, analysiert und visualisiert werden. Ausgewertet wurden Daten, die mit automatisierten Messsystemen an kleinformatigen Laborprobekörpern und großen Testwänden gewonnen wurden. Im Rahmen der praktischen Anwendung konnten unter Verwendung der vorgestellten Verfahren an einem Spannglied die Lage eines Hüllrohrverstopfers lokalisiert und die Ausdehnung der Blockadestelle eingegrenzt werden.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Investigation of prestressed concrete using the imaging ultrasonic echo method Application of phase evaluation for the distinction of reflectors: The application of ultrasound methods for the non-destructive assessment of pre-stressed concrete members is one of the biggest challenges in the field of non-destructive testing in civil engineering. The inhomogeneous composition of concrete, reinforcement and tendons, which itself consist of ducts, steel wires and grouting material, requires an optimisation of measuring technique and analysis software to gain reliable information about the grouting condition of the ducts. This article describes the fundamentals of the visualisation of ultrasound echo data, the investigation and data analysis at specimen and a case study. Here especially the phase evaluation proves to be very useful for the distinction of reflectors. The basic principle is explained and parts of an interactive software module, which is based on the SAFT method, is presented. With this software it is possible to calculate, analyse and visualise 2D and 3D reconstructions of large ultrasound data sets with conventional PCs or mobile computers. Data has been analysed, which were recorded with automatic measurement systems at small scale laboratory specimens and a large scale testing wall. In the frame of the practical application it was possible to localise the position and extent of a blockade within a duct.
Stress corrosion cracking is a transcrystalline or intercrystalline crack formation in materials which
occurs under the influence of static tensile stress or residual stress and a specific aggressive
medium such as chloride containing substances.
This special sort of crack formation is involved in complex crack configurations, which may
only insufficiently be captured by conventional ultrasonic probes with fixed angles of incidence.
Only a number of different beam angles produce sufficient reflection to reconstruct the complete
defect shape from measured ultrasonic data. The SAFT algorithm, which was recently successfully
used in many industrial NDT-applications, is a promising tool for the reconstruction process. In
addition, the combination of phased array technique and SAFT was developed in several projects
by BAM, Berlin. Investigations using phased array equipment were performed to look into crack
configurations in test blocks with different surface curvatures. UT-SAFT has been used for the
analysis of spark-eroded notches simulating stress corrosion cracks at the thermo sleeve weld of a
nozzle. For comparison, UT-SAFT has also been applied for the analysis of real reflectors at the
same position in a nozzle used in a power plant, which was repaired later on. SAFT-scans received
from reconstructed ultrasonic measurement data confirm the practical usefulness of the SAFTalgorithm
developed by BAM.