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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.
In order to extend the lifetime of buildings and constructions at the macro scale it is necessary to understand the damage processes of building materials at the micro scale. In particular, durability of reinforced concrete structures is one of the most important equirements for construction planning and restoration of buildings. Therefore degradation mechanisms were reproduced on laboratory specimens.
CT (Computed Tomography) is commonly used for non-destructive microstructural defect analysis for recurring tests on concrete specimens. In this work a few examples of CT applications on cementitious materials (including cement paste, mortar and concrete specimens) will be presented.
Firstly, in order to quantify the degradation processes, specimens analysed were damaged by corrosion due to carbonation and due to chloride ingress. Particular focus has been set to the analysis of cracks.
An automated crack detection tool, developed by Zuse Institut Berlin (ZIB) and BAM in ZIBAmira, has been applied for quantitative analysis of crack parameters and 3D visualization of cracks.
Furthermore the distribution of corrosion products has been evaluated inside the cement matrix and visualized in 3D data sets.
Another important factor for the ageing stability of concrete is the interfacial transition zone (ITZ). The ITZ consists of a layer of cement paste (20 to 40 μm) over every aggregate where porosity is generally increased in comparison with the bulk. This zone could be a preferential zone for transfer of aggressive species. To visualize the ITZ, a small sample of mortar with a diameter of 10mm has been prepared and scanned using the industrial μCT setup at BAM with a spatial resolution of 5μm voxel size. In addition the extracted surface of aggregates could be used for load simulations. We finally show how CT examination of drilled samples taken from building materials in conjunction with laboratory experiments is helpful for further evaluations of damage processes in concrete.
This poster presentation gives an overview of the great potential of X-ray micro computed tomography (CT) to cast light on the evolution of the microstructure in construction materials. Prevention of damage is of major economic and social importance in the development of suitable construction materials such as concrete and asphalt. Therefore a non-destructive testing method such as CT is an appropriate tool for visualization of the inner structure. Its combination with other test methods allows understanding the damage processes such as crack propagation or corrosion. We show examples of internal structure analyses on a wide range of materials: Automatic 3D crack detection and the visualization of corrosion products inside of steel reinforced concrete, pore and shape analysis of lightweight aggregates and the visualization of deformation of high-pressure loaded aerated concrete specimens, distribution of aggregates inside concrete, and determination of the surface of porous asphalt core samples. Segmented structures serve, e.g., as input data for simulation of transport phenomena or virtual load tests.