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Moisture and salt loads of concrete can significantly change its microstructure and consequently lead to chemical and mechanical degradation. However, the non-destructive investigation of moisture and salt present in concrete is still difficult. In order to address and compare the sensitivity of different methods concrete samples with different pore systems realized by varying the w/z ratios have been fabricated. The focus of this study was put on the analysis of ultrasonic long and trans waves measured on the surface and in transmission mode. The results show clear dependencies of all applied methods. With the radar and microwave methods predominantly changes in the concrete moisture could be detected, whereas the different pore systems were not observed to alter the signals. In contrast for the ultrasound method also the ongoing hydration as well as the nature of the pore system strongly influenced the signals. As a consequence in a subsequent drying experiment it was also tried to delineate the effects of moisture and hydration. All specimens have been re-saturated under pressure and the drying experiment was repeated using the same multi-sensor approach.
Monitoring of cracks in historic concrete structures using optical, thermal and acoustical methods
(2015)
Cracks are a major issue in the field of cultural heritage. In order to evaluate the significance of a crack, a long term monitoring of the damaged region is required. However, there is a lack of easy to operate tools for such monitoring measures. Therefore, new or existing methods for other applications have to be optimised for cultural heritage investigation. The paper describes the application of such crack observation methods on a historic concrete sculpture. Beside conventional methods, like mapping by hand and ultrasonic depth profiling, a novel tracking system is presented. Furthermore, the suitability of active thermography for the investigation of cracks was investigated. The results show promising prospects for these non-destructive techniques.
This paper describes an innovation of a phased array using dry contact probes to test concrete components. Based on preceding work on pressure waves, a low-frequency ultrasonic phased array consisting of shear wave probes is used in the experiments. This configuration allows the variation and control of the sound field directivity during the measurement. The measurements are carried out on a concrete test block using a scanning laservibrometer and a scanner system in transmission mode. The laboratory measurements are compared to theoretical calculations to investigate the influence of the probes shape and dimension on the resulting sound field patterns. The comparison of the modelling and the measurements demonstrates the suitability of the point source synthesis as a tool for the optimization of probe array designs. Methods of coded are used to improve the signal to noise ratio.
Welcome to the first symposium on Knowledge Exchange for Young Scientists (KEYS) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 9th – 11th June 2015. This symposium is part of a three phase series organised by BAM, and funded by VolkswagenStiftung. Each symposium will focus on relevant themes in the construction sector and will include adequate training as well as offer an opportunity to participate in informal discussions between key players and young scientists, which will facilitate the fundamentals of knowledge transfer.
Our world of cement and concrete faces tremendous challenges for the future. Without doubt cement-based materials will remain the most widely used construction materials in the world. Concrete can be made available everywhere in the world, and it is more sustainable than other materials. Nevertheless, in order to become even more sustainable, we need to find solutions to reduce CO2 generation for the cement production, to quickly solve problems of housing and infrastructures, and to cope with ever increasing customer needs in terms of performances.
There is no global optimum solution for concrete. Best concrete practices always has to be found locally and regionally based on raw materials, supply chains, and construction needs, but it can be inspired by other regions. In order to tackle the future challenges and build more innovative with concrete, we need to enhance interdisciplinary engineering skills and create networks between future decision makers.
Therefore, the KEYS symposia series offers a platform whereby young African scientists can get together with peers from Germany as well as with experienced academic engineers, industry specialists and scientists from across the globe for better implementation of research analysis in their respective fields of study. This primarily provides the opportunity to obtain further knowledge in the demand for the home-base innovation and growth of the education sector. It will also provide an opportunity to network with their peers and gain relevant and objective knowledge.
The theme for this first symposium is sub-Saharan African standards for cement and concrete research – raw materials, quality control and maintenance of cementitious products. The symposium is divided into 8 sections and includes presentations from 9 international keynote speakers and 22 young scientists, who were selected out of a high number of applicants based on the excellence of their scientific writing.
We would like to thank all participants for their valuable contribution to the symposium. We are blessed to receive tremendous input from the distinguished keynote speakers and we thank them for their attendance. Last but not least, we would like to acknowledge the funding body, VolkwagenStiftung, for their support. We hope you enjoy the symposium and find your engagement valuable with the entire team in sustaining your professional development in the global world of cement and concrete.
In civil engineering, the corrosion of steel reinforcements in structural elements of concrete bares a risk of stability-reduction, mainly caused by the exposure to chlorides. 3D computed tomography (CT) reveals the inner structure of concrete and allows one to investigate the corrosion with non-destructive testing methods. To carry out such investigations, specimens with a large artificial crack and an embedded steel rebar have been manufactured. 3D CT images of those specimens were acquired in the original state. Subsequently three cycles of electrochemical pre-damaging together with CT imaging were applied. These time series have been evaluated by means of image processing algorithms to segment and quantify the corrosion products. Visualization of the results supports the understanding of how corrosion propagates into cracks and pores. Furthermore, pitting of structural elements can be seen without dismantling. In this work, several image processing and visualization techniques are presented that have turned out to be particularly effective for the visualization and segmentation of corrosion products. Their combination to a workflow for corrosion analysis is the main contribution of this work.
Simulations of concrete on the mesoscale require complex geometry models that resolve single aggregates. Since they fill up to 60-80% of the virtual specimen, efficient algorithms for their placement are necessary.
Event-driven molecular dynamics (EDMD) algorithms using growing spheres are proven to create dense polydisperse sphere packings. In this paper, a modified EDMD algorithm is presented and compared to the widely used random sequential addition algorithm. It reaches denser aggregate packings and saves computation time at high volume fractions.
When meshing the geometry, a minimal distance between the aggregates ensures undistorted elements. It is obtained by increasing the aggregate size during the placement process, which makes the packing problem more challenging. For a given aggregate volume fraction, the presented algorithm maximizes this distance and meshable mesoscale geometries for concrete specimens with more than 70% aggregate content are produced.
Amplitudes variation of GPR rebar reflection due to the influence of concrete aggregate scattering
(2015)
Dense GPR measurements of rebar reflection amplitudes Show relative variations, which can be in the order of more than 10% - 20%. Former investigations demonstrated that these variations are caused by the heterogeneity of concrete, i.e. due to the inclusion of aggregates in concrete. These amplitude variations make it difficult to analyse single reflection amplitudes in order to determine the rebar diameter or to estimate the concrete deterioration state. In a systematic study we have quantified the statistical variation of the rebar reflection amplitude for concrete covers of 6 cm, 9 cm, 12 cm, 15 cm and 18 cm, for two different grading curves and for the rebar diameters 12 mm and 28 mm. Also the influence of the wavelength has been investigated by using antennas with different centre frequencies in relation to the aggregate size. The results are discussed with regard to a quantitative amplitude evaluation of GPR measurements and also the potential of using these variations for a characterization of concrete material properties.
Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are largely used all over the world. The leading SCMs are fly ash (FA) and slag. However, such materials originate from industries that are not well established in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Therefore, it becomes extremely challenging and expensive to build up sustainable cement and concrete. For SSA, agriculture is one of the leading economic sectors. Agricultural by-products such as rice husk ash (RHA), can be a potential binder material beneficial for use in a cementitious system. RHA combined with limestone filler (LSF) is an option that can be practised for rice producing countries in Africa.
Ultrasonic echo testing is widely used in non-destructive testing in civil engineering to investigate concrete structures, to measure thickness, and to locate and characterise built-in components or inhomogeneities. Currently, synthetic aperture focusing techniques are mostly used for imaging. These algorithms are highly developed but have some limitations. For example, it is not possible to image the lower boundary of built-in components like tendon ducts or vertical reflectors. We adopted reverse time migration for non-destructive testing in civil engineering in order to improve the imaging of complicated structures in concrete. By using the entire wavefield, including waves reflected more than once, there are fewer limitations compared to synthetic aperture focusing technique algorithms. As a drawback, the required computation is significantly higher than that for the techniques currently used. Simulations for polyamide and concrete structures showed the potential for non-destructive testing. The simulations were followed by experiments at a polyamide specimen. Here, having acquired almost noise-free measurement data to test the algorithm, we were able to determine the shape and size of boreholes with sufficient accuracy. After these successful tests, we performed experiments at a reinforced concrete foundation slab. We obtained information from the data by reverse time migration, which was not accessible by traditional imaging. The imaging of the location and structure of the lower boundary of the concrete foundation slab was improved. Furthermore, vertical reflectors inside the slab were imaged clearly, and more flaws were found. It has been shown that reverse time migration is a step forward in ultrasonic testing in civil engineering.