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Two test series were examined using nondestructive measuring methods by six independent laboratories before determining their compressive strength. The nondestructive test methods used were the rebound hammer and ultrasonic pulse velocity measurement. Two types of geometries were investigated: drilled cores and cubes. The measurement procedure for each of these datasets is conditioned to the geometry and is therefore different.
The first series consists of 20 drilled cores (approximately diameter/height = 10 cm/20 cm) from the 55-year-old Lahntal Viaduct near Limburg, Germany. After preparation in the first laboratory, the lateral surface of the drilled cores was tested with the rebound hammer using a given pattern. Every laboratory tested every drilled core at different locations.
Ultrasonic measurements in transmission were performed repeatedly at predefined points on the flat surfaces of the specimen.
The second series consisted of 25 newly manufactured concrete cubes of a mix with a target concrete strength class of C30/37. The edge length was 15 cm. Each laboratory received five specimens of this test series. Thus, contrary to the first series, each specimen was tested by only one laboratory. Two side faces of each cube were tested with the rebound hammer. In addition, ultrasonic measurements were performed by one laboratory. The time of flight was measured between the tested side faces of the rebound hammer at different positions.
For both series, rebound hammers were used to determine the R-value as well as the Q-value. The rebound hammer models within the laboratories were always the same, while they differed between the laboratories. The ultrasonic measurements took place with different measurement systems and couplants. Finally, both specimen series were tested destructively for compressive strength.
The dataset contains the raw data summarized in tabular form. In addition, relevant calculated data are included in some cases. For the ultrasonic measurements, the time of flight has already been converted into the ultrasonic velocity. Besides, in addition to the raw data of the compressive strength test (force, weight, and geometry values), the calculated compressive strengths and densities are also provided.
When applying Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to assess the moisture content of building materials, different medium properties, dimensions, interfaces and other unknown influences may require specific strategies to achieve useful results. Hence, we present an overview of the various approaches to carry out moisture measurements with GPR in civil engineering (CE). We especially focus on the applied Signal features such as time, amplitude and frequency features and discuss their limitations. Since the majority of publications rely on one single feature when applying moisture measurements, we also hope to encourage the consideration of approaches that combine different signal features for further developments.
Due to the large number of stainless steels with different chemical composition and different microstructure the selection of the suitable material represents a huge challenge. In order to facilitate the appropriate grade selection, in the current European standard EN 1993-1-4 a procedure is defined based on the use of a look-up table considering the key variables that influence the selection of stainless steels. The table uses descriptions that competent designers should be able to readily understand or define without prior knowledge. The output from the look-up table is used to select alloys based on a Corrosion Resistance Class (CRC) from I to V. The advantage of this approach is that the designer simply specifies the relevant CRC and does not need to consider in detail which of the many (very similar) alloys to specify.
In civil engineering, many structures are made of reinforced concrete. Most Degradation processes relevant to this material, e.g., corrosion, are related to an increased level of material moisture.
Therefore, moisture monitoring in reinforced concrete is regarded as a crucial method for structural health monitoring. In this study, passive radio frequency identification (RFID)-based sensors are embedded into the concrete. They are well suited for long-term operation over decades and are well protected against harsh environmental conditions. The energy supply and the data transfer of the humidity sensors are provided by RFID. The sensor casing materials are optimised to withstand the high alkaline environment in concrete, having pH values of more than 12. Membrane materials are also investigated to identify materials capable of enabling water vapour transport from the porous cement matrix to the embedded humidity sensor. By measuring the corresponding relative humidity with embedded passive RFID-based sensors, the cement hydration is monitored for 170 days.
Moreover, long-term moisture monitoring is performed for more than 1000 days. The Experiments show that embedded passive RFID-based sensors are highly suitable for long-term structural health monitoring in civil engineering.
The legend continued: The International Symposium NonDestructive Testing in Civil Engineering (NDT-CE) had returned to Berlin. The Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) and the Technical University of Berlin (TUB) hosted this prestigious event in the industrial landmark building Peter-Behrens-Halle and the Test Site Technical Safety (TTS) in Horstwalde in September 2015. Almost 300 participants from more than 35 countries gathered to present recent research, exchange knowledge and to lest the newest equipment in NDT-CE. This symposium, held regularly in various locations all over the world, was organized for the third time in Berlin and is by far the largest of its kind.
Geophysical methods have been used in civil engineering for decades. The main field of application is - to no surprise – in geotechnical projects from site characterization to foundation quality assurance. For more than 25 years, ground penetrating radar (GPR) and seismic methods have found applications in structural engineering. Recently introduced geophysical methods have been adopted to ultrasonic investigations in various fields. They help to improve the quality of structural imaging and to detect small changes in concrete. An overview of the history and current use of geophysics in civil engineering is given. Selected examples of new concepts include advances in wave based imaging, quality assurance for foundations, detecting small changes in concrete as well as moisture and corrosion detection are discussed.
New thermography systems enable the application of active investigation techniques, i.e. the observation of the cooling down process after heating the surface of a structure under investigation. Defects like voids in concrete having a different thermal diffusivity in comparison to the bulk material are visualised by different surface temperatures. The differences between temperature transient curves above sound regions and above inhomogeneities are expected to include information about the defect parameters.
Experimental investigations with impulse thermography and radar on a concrete test specimen containing voids were analysed. Radar was used to determine the depth of the voids. The influence of size and depth of the voids on the temperature transient curves was studied for different heating times. The transient curves were also fitted with a simple semi-empirical model.
Impulse-thermography has been established as a fast and reliable tool in many areas of non-destructive testing. In recent years several investigations have been done to apply active thermography to civil engineering. For quantitative investigations in this area of application, finite difference calculations have been performed for systematic studies on the influence of environmental conditions, heating power and time, defect depth and size and thermal properties of the bulk material (concrete). The comparison of simulated and experimental data enables the quantitative analysis of defects.
Impulse-thermography is an active method for quantitative investigation of the near surface region of various structures which has recently been applied to civil engineering. It is well suited for the detection of voids and honeycombing in concrete up to concrete covers of 10 cm and more. For quantitative analysis, a computer program for numerical simulation of the heating up and cooling down processes was developed based on Finite Differences. With this program parameter studies have been performed for investigating the influence of environmental conditions, material parameters and geometry on the thermal behaviour. The comparison between experimental and simulated results enables the Inverse Solution.