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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.
Low strain pile integrity testing is an established method in QA of foundation piles. The technique is very effective and well accepted for larger flaws and length determination. It is part of standards and recommendations. Challenges exist for more complicated structures (e. g. pile walls, diaphragm walls, and pile under structures) and small flaws. Interpretation is subjective in many cases. Possible solutions, e.g. the use of vibrators instead of a hammer or application of several sensors instead of one have been proposed decades ago, but not used much in practice. In several projects we are working on the extension and optimizations of these ideas, based on input from other engineering disciplines. In the frame of the project PileInspect we are working with an international consortium on the use of vibrators instead of a hand held hammer. This allows the full control of input signals as well as the use of (semi)automatic classification routines from machine diagnosis. At BAM we are using a low cost vibrator and deconvolution routines to improve the results of classical low strain testing. In another project we are working on multichannel measurements with sensor placement along the pile axis. This can be used to determine the travel direction of certain waves (downwards or upwards) to improve the interpretation of measurements on piles below constructions or pile walls. The use of ideas adapted from geophysics („vertical seismic profiling“) are helpful. Both concepts are proven by simulations results and first field tests.
Defect detection in concrete pile using impulse response measurements with sine sweep excitations
(2015)
For pile integrity inspection, a low cost and portable shaker was used to create the sine sweep signal for pile excitation. The impulse response function, calculated by the deconvolution of pile response from the sine sweep excitation, was proposed to identify the echoes in the piles due to the pile’s impedance changes. The proposed methodology has been evaluated and validated both numerically and experimentally. Based on the results from the simulations and experiments, it was found that the impulse response measurement with sine sweep excitation could be an effective tool to detect the echoes of the pile toe and the defects in the pile.
Sealing and strengthening of the subsoil by injection is a major issue in the field of geotechnical engineering. One commonly applied method is jet grouting, which allows creating columns of grouted soil by eroding and mixing the in-situ soil with a thin cement suspension. A general difficulty linked with this method is to predict the resulting column diameter and its material strength. In this paper we illustrate the application of a newly developed non-destructive quality assurance testing tool used to determine the diameter of jet grout columns. This approach incorporates standard crosshole and downhole seismic measurements. To demonstrate its effectiveness, we tested the new approach within two-dimensional finite-difference numerical simulations. Additional field tests showed that this tool is also applicable in real site conditions. For this purpose, three jet grout columns were produced with different process parameters in a depth between 3.0 and 10 m. The evaluated diameters were within 1.0 and 1.5 m, slightly deviating from the previously predicted range by the jet grouting contractor. Moreover, we were able to detect the base of the columns at 10 m depth with no significant difficulties. On the other hand, unsaturated, partly unconsolidated sands between ground water level and surface considerably affected the seismic data, hence complicating the detection of the top of the columns.
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.
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.
Challenging new constructions and ageing infrastructure are increasing the demand for permanent monitoring of loads and condition. Various methods and sensors are used for this purpose. But the technologies available today have difficulties in detecting slowly progressing locally confined damages. Extensive investigations or instrumentations are required so far for this purpose. In this study we present new sensors and data processing methods for ultrasonic transmission, which can be used for non-destructive long term monitoring of concrete. They can be mounted during construction or thereafter. Larger volumes can be monitored by a limited number of sensors for changes of material properties. The principles of ultrasonic transmission and influencing factors are presented. This latter include load, damages as well as environmental parameters as temperature or moisture. Various methods for data processing, e. g. coda wave interferometry are introduced. They allow the detection of very small changes in the medium. The embedded sensors are shown including mounting and operation. Application examples so far include small scale laboratory freeze-thaw experiments, localizing loads in larger concrete models, monitoring load effects on real structures as well as detecting acoustic events. Some sensors are operating already for several years. The sensors can be used as transmitter or receivers or switched between both roles. While most of the previous experiments have been active (at least one sensor serving as transmitter), new studies show that the sensors are useful as well for passive measurements, e. g. in acoustic emission or time reversal experiments. Besides application in civil engineering our setups can also be used for model studies in geosciences.
Jet grouting is a geotechnical method of ground improvement to increase shear strength and stiffness of soils. The method is typically used to construct in-situ geometries of grouted soil such as panels or columns. The diameter of grouted columns and its material strength depend on various process parameters and the subsurface soil properties. It is only vaguely possible to predict the final column diameter. Therefore, it is a general practice to excavate a test column and perform a visual examination. However, an excavation to control the in situ diameter is often impossible, especially under complex site conditions, such as a high ground water table. Therefore, as part of a research project, borehole seismic measurements (crosshole, downhole and tomography) were tested as a quality control to verify the extent of the column and to monitor the influence of the jet grout injection on the soil over time. The field surveys were conducted before and after the jet grouting process at different time intervals. The acquired seismic data show clear traveltime differences which allow the determination of the specific column depth and diameter. The tomogram measured in the natural soil and the tomograms of the measurements after the injection process were used to visualize the time dependent effects of the jet grout injection on the soil.
Ultraschall-Transmissionsmessungen werden seit Jahrzehnten bei der Qualitätssicherung von Betonkonstruktionen eingesetzt. Aus den Wellengeschwindigkeiten lassen sich dynamische Elastizitätsmoduln und – nach lokaler Kalibrierung – auch Druckfestigkeiten ermitteln. Zudem ergeben sich Hinweise auf Risse und andere Materialschwächungen. Der Einsatz erfolgt vor allem im Labor oder an der Bauwerksoberfläche. Neuerdings werden auch Monitoringsysteme mit eingebetteten Sensoren auf Ultraschallbasis erfolgreich getestet. Die Talsperre Eibenstock dient als größte Sperre in Sachsen der Trinkwasserversorgung und dem Hochwasserschutz. Hier wurden während der Bauphase im Jahr 1979 im Fußbereich des Mauerkörpers Ultraschallsensoren eingebracht, die in Verbindung mit einem Messoszilloskop eine Überwachung der Erhärtung des Mauerbetons ermöglichten.
Der für die Sensorauswahl eingesetzte Messstellenumschalter wurde im September 2011 grundlegend instand gesetzt. Danach zeigte sich, dass die eingebetteten Sensoren selbst sowie die Verkabelung auch nach über fünfunddreißig Jahren in einwandfreiem Zustand sind. Eine nunmehr aufgelegte Messserie mit modernem Gerät von über einem Jahr mit ein- bis zweimonatigen Intervallen zeigte, dass die Wellengeschwindigkeit seit der Bauphase noch einmal um gut 10 % zugenommen hat, was für eine erhöhte Druckfestigkeit spricht. Innerhalb des Jahres zeigten sich auch bei Einsatz neuer, sehr sensibler Auswertemethoden (sog. Codawelleninterferometrie) nur geringfügige Schwankungen. Diese waren auch nicht zu erwarten, da sich die Füllhöhe zu den Messzeitpunkten nur gering unterschied, die Temperatur im Bauwerksinneren nur wenig schwankte und der Bauwerkszustand sehr gut ist.
Die Aussagen zur Betongüte sind direkt vergleichbar mit den früheren Mess- und Untersuchungsergebnissen an der Talsperre Gottleuba, die im gleichen Zeitraum errichtet wurde und ebenfalls mit einem Ultraschallsystem ausgerüstet war. Die Experimente zeigten, dass ein Einsatz von Ultraschallsystemen für die Bauwerksüberwachung auch über Jahrzehnte möglich ist. Dies war im vorliegenden Fall nie geplant, aber durch den Einsatz der Mitarbeiter vor Ort und der Herstellerfirma möglich. Bei zukünftigen Systemen ist eine langfristige Planung unter Einbeziehung aller Beteiligten sowie eine Einbindung in Überwachungs- und Wartungspläne notwendig, damit die qualitätsgesichert gewonnen Daten gewinnbringend genutzt werden können.
Die beiden in dieser Arbeit dargestellten Beispiele zeigen, dass sich die Low-strain-Pfahlintegritätsprüfung noch über den bisherigen, schon sehr erfolgreichen Stand hinaus entwickeln kann. Der Einsatz von Vibratortechnik und passender mathematischer Methoden bietet das Potential, Prüfungen auch unter bisher nicht lösbaren Randbedingungen durchzuführen. Dazu gehören sehr schlanke Pfähle und Messungen bei hohem Störpegel. Der erhöhte Mess- und Auswerteaufwand ist jedoch im Einzelfall gegenüber dem erzielbaren Erfolg abzugleichen. Apparativ müssen noch Entwicklungsarbeiten geleistet werden, um einen einfachen und zuverlässigen Einsatz in der Praxis zu ermöglichen. Die Messung mit mehreren Sensoren entlang des Pfahls kann schon heute in der Praxis eingesetzt werden. In vielen Fällen lassen sich damit auch Messungen an Pfählen im Bestand durchführen, bei denen die konventionelle Pfahlprüfung aufgrund von überlagernden Signalen aus der aufgehenden Struktur versagt.