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Ultrasound sensors should be embedded into concrete for monitoring concrete properties. These new longitudinal wave sensors with a center frequency of 60 kHz were examined regarding their suitability for ultrasonic measurements in concrete structures in terms of emission characteristics, sensitivity and frequency ränge.
For the measurement of the radiation patterns, the sensors were embedded vertically and horizontally in concrete cylinders. The directivity pattern was measured using a laser vibrometer.
The sensitivity of the sensor was determined in water using different sensors of the same type. It shows changes in the signal amplitude as well as variations in the frequency ränge for different transmitter-receiver combinations.
The attenuation of the concrete affects the achievable resolution of the measurements and thus, the maximum possible spacing of the sensors within a concrete element. Experimental tests helped optimizing the distances with respect to the required resolution and the effort of embedding the sensors. The signal attenuation in the concrete was measured in the frequency ränge of 60 kHz in response to various degrees of reinforcement and grain size. For this purpose, the sensors were cast at different distances in the specimens studied. The recorded Signals were evaluated for their amplitude and frequency spectrum.
The research project "Ultrasonic Net for Concrete Monitoring (UNeCOM)" aims at developing a methodology for an embedded ultrasonic network for the condition assessment of infrastructure constructions. Civil engineering structures made of concrete, which are located in tectonically active regions or undergo special loading conditions, may require continuous monitoring. It is important to assess the condition of the building and its stability to recognise and classify the effect of a seismic event or evolving damage at early stages before failure occurs. Embedded ultrasonic sensors offer the possibility to detect changes in the material and degradation mechanisms from inside the structure in areas which are difficult or impossible to inspect otherwise. In contrast to conventional ultrasonic testing methods, where the concrete surfaces are scanned with ultrasound probes, this new approach uses sensors, which are embedded into concrete, eliminating the effect of variable coupling conditions between sensors and concrete. This method allows an integral detection of changes in the concrete structure, for example due to seismic activities, to detect mechanical impacts, as well as degradation of the material due to overloading. Such methods have great relevance especially for the monitoring of constructions like power plants, bridges, offshore structures and other structures with high technical safety requirements. The sensor network can be controlled remotely through the internet which is also being used for data transfer. The embedded sensor network is designed to monitor structural damage and concrete degradation globally with high sensitivity.
Nuclear Power Plants have been in operation for ca. 50 years. Based on this experience, non-destructive testing tasks specific to thick and highly reinforced nuclear containment structures have materialized. The performance based Service life extension of existing NPPs also needs a measurement based decision to support continuing the service of the concrete part of the installations.
By nature, concrete is a very durable material and any natural Deterioration processes may take a long time to become critical to the structure. The experience of more than 50 years of service limits the testing tasks to a few ones which are not yet solved.
Research in NDT of concrete structures is performed by many research institutions all over the world with different technical and systematic approaches. Results are mainly obtained on laboratory specimens, sometimes additional field studies are reported. This research takes place independently without coordination and as a result, the outcomes mostly lack full comparability.
Software for data analysis has become indispensable and very powerful. This part of testing needs more attention when it comes to evaluate test results. Validation of NDE solutions is becoming a critical part in concrete structure testing.
Validation is by definition the proof that a customer´s requirements in the test are being met by the testing solution. This includes equipment, personnel qualification and data analysis. In the following tables, the research recommendation Validation is used in the sense, that proof of the performance of existing solutions needs to be adressed. In general, a validation methodology for NDE solutions for concrete testing in itself needs to be researched and established.
Comparability of research also needs an accepted and easily accessible reference. From experience, it is almost impossible to manufacture exact copies of test specimens at different locations. Round Robin tests are therefore needed to evaluate the performance of a test.
Data evaluation is generally done using dedicated software, sometimes Hardware dependant and not interchangeable between systems. Software is ever more increasingly becoming more powerful and sophisticated. An in-depth evaluation needs to address the comparability and validation of Software used for data analysis and evaluation. The vision of a unified software pool for NDE investigations would undoubtedly support research tremendously.
Quantitative NDE is mostly recommended to assess the condition of a structure. However, qualitative data can be very useful, especially for processes which change the material properties or deteriorate the structure (e.g. corrosion of reinforcement). The need for reliable baseline data is a key factor for such monitoring tasks.
Laboratory model test for monitoring the new main railway station of Berlin - The Lehrter Bahnhof
(2002)
Adolf Martens (18501914) was a pioneer of materials engineering. After his studies in Berlin he joined a railway company being responsible for the technical equipment. His interest for the basic mechanisms of mechanical strength and fracture of metallic materials led him to the development of the basic concepts for metallography; his papers published between 1878 and 1889 laid the fundament of this technique. In 1880 Martens changed to the Royal Industrial Academy in Berlin and by 1884 he was designated as director of the Materials Testing Laboratory at the Technical University Berlin. Under his guidance this institution acquired an excellent reputation in all relevant areas of the German industry, forming the nucleus of the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) – the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing. Martens developed equipment in many different areas as mechanical testing of metallic materials and of paper, characterization of the wear behavior of materials and viscosity of lubricants. His overwhelming contribution to materials engineering was recognized as early as 1895 by Floris Osmond, who denominated martensite a metallographical constituent resulting from quenching of steels. In 2000 ISO designated the value obtained from the instrumented indentation method as Martens Hardness – HM.
Structural health monitoring contributes to early damage detection in the built infrastructure. During the last two decades, the sensor networks transferred from wired to wireless sensor networks.
Several methods exist to measure moisture in building materials. Most of the introduced commercial humidity measurement methods as provide information about the local or near surface moisture. A feasibility study is presented to demonstrate, how the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of a BlueTooth® Low Energy (BLE) signal, transmitted from the BLE-module embedded in building materials with changing moisture content. The BLE-module communicates with a mobile Smart Device as tablet or mobile phone. The RSSI indicates to what extend the received signal strength is changed due to moisture, while the transmitted signal strength remains constant.
Structural health monitoring contributes to early damage detection in the built infrastructure. During the last two decades, sensor networks transferred from wired to wireless sensor networks. Several methods exist to measure moisture in building materials. Most of the introduced commercial moisture measurement methods provide information about the local or near surface moisture. A feasibility study is presented to demonstrate, how the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signal, transmitted from the BLE-module embedded in building materials, correlate with changing moisture content. The feasibility of this influence was investigated in the presented study. The maximum and minimum RSSI were systematically recorded and analysed.
The presented development of a damping model is a research component of an experimental feasibility study about moisture in building materials measured with Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) signals. This study may be part of a structural health monitoring aiming on early damage detection in the built infrastructure and is increasingly focusing on wireless sensor Network technology. It is investigated, how the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of a BLE signal, transmitted from the BLE-module embedded in building materials with changing moisture content is damped. The BLE-module communicates with a mobile Smart Device as tablet or mobile phone via 2.45 GHz-ISMfrequency band where water dipoles start to oscillate. If the BLE-signal transfers through a moist material, the moisture Content influences the RSS-Indicator. The damping model demonstrates this damping effect on RSSI by the abstraction of the reality observed in a real system.
The presented development of a damping model is a research component of an experimental feasibility study about moisture in building materials measured with Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) signals. This study may be part of a structural health- and long-term monitoring aiming at early damage detection in the built infrastructure and is increasingly focusing on wireless sensor network technology. It is investigated, how the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of a BLE signal, transmitted from the BLE-module embedded in building materials with changing moisture content is damped. The aim of the modelling is the derivation of a damping equation for the formal model to determine the moisture damping exponent to finding a correlation.
This feasibility study presents how the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of a Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) signal, transmitted from the BLE-module embedded in building materials with changing moisture content, is damped. The BLE-module (TRANSMITTER) communicates with a mobile Smart Device as tablet or mobile phone (RECEIVER) [Fig. 1]. The measured RSSI indicates to what extend the received signal strength is changed due to moisture, while the transmitted signal strength remains constant.
Concrete railway bridges - taxonomy of degradation mechanisms and damages identified by NDT methods
(2006)
CHEF provides knowledge about flood protection of cultural heritage objects and directly supports the European Floods Directive by giving recommendations on how to assess the vulnerability of monuments. A comprehensive analysis of protective measures BEFORE, DURING and AFTER a flood has been carried out within the project, including technical and administrational measures. An overview of these measures is given, followed by recommendations on how to establish the most effective protective strategies.
Assessment of existing steel structures - A guideline for estimation of the remaining fatigue life
(2007)
Assessment of existing steel structures - Recommendations for estimation of remaining fatigue life
(2008)
Die zunehmende Bedeutung der Nachhaltigkeit im Bauwesen wird in Zukunft das Bauen im Bestand gegenüber Neubauten in den Vordergrund rücken. Dies gilt auch für den Brückenbau, wo das Qualitätsmanagement seit langem Brücken von ihrem Entstehungsgang über den Betrieb bis in die Entsorgung begleitet.
Die starke Vergrößerung der Frachtvolumina für Straße und Schiene und die zunehmende Überalterung des Brückenbestandes fragen danach, ob die bestehenden Brücken für die veränderten Betriebsbedingungen noch geeignet sind und wie sie und ob sie dafür instandgesetzt werden könnten.
Für die erforderlichen Instandhaltungs- und Instandsetzungsmaßnahmen oder einen eventuellen Ersatz durch einen Neubau ist aber die Frage der Restnutzungsdauer von entscheidender Bedeutung. Es ist daher nicht von ungefähr, dass sich Baulast-träger auf nationaler und internationaler Ebene frühzeitig zusammengetan haben, um nach geeigneten Methoden der Bestimmung der Sicherheit und Restnutzungsdauer bestehender Brücken zu forschen. Auch die internationalen technisch-wissenschaftlichen Verbände wie EKS und fib sowie die Standard-Organisationen ISO und CEN sind der Frage eines internationalen Austauschs und der Vereinheitlichung der Methoden nachgegangen.
Für Stahlbrücken hat insbesondere das technische Komitee6 - Ermüdung - der EKS Anregungen aufgegriffen, aus den verschiedenen nationalen Erfahrungen und dem vorhandenen Wissen technische Empfehlungen für die Beurteilung bestehender Stahlbrücken zu entwickeln [1], die sich als Grundlage für die von CEN/TC 250 - das CEN-Komitee für die Bearbeitung der Eurocode - geplante Erweiterung der Eurocode zur Instandhaltung und Instandsetzung des Brückenbestandes eignen.
Das Ergebnis ist ein technisch-wissenschaftlicher Bericht, der im Rahmen der Zusammenarbeit der europäischen Kommission (DG-Research - Joint Research Centre JRC) mit der EKS als Basispapier für eine zukünftige Eurocode-Erweiterung veröffentlicht wurde und schon jetzt als Empfehlung für eine Vorgehensweise nach dem Stand der Technik verwendet werden kann.
Der vorliegende Beitrag behandelt die Grundzüge dieses Berichtes [1], der vom e-bookshop der Kommission kostenfrei herunter geladen werden kann.
Die Langzeitüberwachung von Bauteilen (Structural Health Monitoring, SHM) ging in den letzten Jahren zunehmend von verkabelten Sensoren zu kabellosen Sensornetzwerken (WSN) über. Frühwarnsysteme sollen rechtzeitige Signale senden, wenn Schädigungsprozesse einsetzen, wenn ein Bauteil z. B. zu feucht wird (Deiche, Staumauern), oder wenn Feuchteprozesse in Bauteilen auftreten, die den Transport von schädlichen Stoffen ermöglichen. Mittels handelsüblicher multifunktionaler Sensoren wie einem Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wurden erste Machbarkeitsuntersuchungen zur Massenfeuchtemessung durchgeführt. Die untersuchten Parameter sind der sogenannte Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) eines Bluetooth-Low-Energy(BLE)-Signals und die abgestrahlte Sendeleistung eines eingebetteten BLE-Moduls. Das BLE-Modul kommuniziert mit einem mobilen smarten Empfänger wie einem Tablet oder einem Smartphone als SmartHub. Die Veränderung des RSS-Indikators ist ein Maß für die Veränderung der Feuchte im Bauteil, während die ausgesandte Signalstärke konstant bleibt. Wenn das BLE-Signal einen feuchten Bereich im Baumaterial durchläuft, verändert sich der RSS-Indikator. Nach erfolgreicher Machbarkeitsstudie wurde nun ein aus dem Netzwerk MI4G (Modern Industry for Germany) zwischen der Bundesanstalt für Materialprüfung und dem Klein- und mittelständigen Unternehmen LinTech GmbH heraus beantragtes ZIM-Projekt bewilligt. Der Bericht zeigt erste Ergebnisse von Voruntersuchungen und gibt einen Ausblick auf weitere Forschungsaktivitäten.
Within the presented research project, experimental and numerical investigations were performed to develop a thin-shelled, modular, mobile element system made of a micro-reinforced ultra-high-performance ductile concrete (DUCON®). Material parameters were experimentally determined to adapt the material model within the numerical analysis applying the Drucker-Prager relationship. Afterwards, for validation of the numerical models, quasi-static and high-velocity impact tests were performed on plate-like structures. Finally, a suitable geometry of transportable barrier elements will be designed, which provides a maximum of resistance against impact by a minimum of weight and a maximum of mobility.
Within the presented research project, experimental and numerical investigations were performed to develop a thin-shelled, modular, mobile element system made of a micro-reinforced ultra-high-performance ductile concrete (DUCON®). Material parameters were experimentally determined to adapt the material model within the numerical analysis applying the Drucker-Prager relationship. Afterwards, for validation of the numerical models, quasi-static and high-velocity impact tests were performed on plate-like structures. Finally, a suitable geometry of transportable barrier elements will be designed, which provides a maximum of resistance against impact by a minimum of weight and a maximum of mobility.
Inspection of steel bridges
(2007)
A new method for periodically monitoring reinforcement corrosion in concrete with Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) is proposed and a ten-year long-term corrosion periodic monitoring experiment is reported. GPR historical data was taken in different years, under different conditions. In order to align and normalize the obtained images properly prior to effectively performing any automatic defect detection, image registration techniques based on mutual-information are employed, and a new signal processing scheme is proposed for normalizing the intensity of GPR images. Then, the processed image results can be used to compare and find out the change of GPR detection due to corrosion.
Periodic mapping of reinforcement corrosion in intrusive chloride contaminated concrete with GPR
(2014)
This paper presents an experimental effort for developing a novel reinforcement corrosion monitoring technique based on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). Experiments were carried out to periodically monitor the accelerated reinforcement corrosion process with GPR. The data were processed in both time and timefrequency domains to investigate the tendencies of GPR signal attribute changes related with corrosion, moisture and chloride contamination. Data processing methods were proposed to visualize the reinforcement corrosion and chloride distribution with target specified signal attribute mapping. Half-Cell Potential (HCP) and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) methods were employed to verify the GPR observations.
Monitoring accelerated corrosion in chloride contaminated concrete with ground penetrating radar
(2012)
In this article, we present a laboratory experiment to monitor the accelerated corrosion in concrete using ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Four concrete test specimens were cast with rebars of different size and placed at different depths. The lifetime decades of reinforcement corrosion process were accelerated into 18 days by using the impress current technique. The electrochemical corrosion process was periodically monitored with GPR. Two control specimens were also prepared to investigate the influence of chloride contamination on GPR signal. The measured data were analysed both in time and frequency domains. In time domain, the peak-to-peak amplitude of a wave reflected by a rebar was calculated to investigate the relationship between an increase in signal amplitude and the degree of corrosion. In frequency domain, the time–frequency representations of the signal were computed by using S-transform. The results show that reinforce corrosion increased the amplitude of reflected signal in time domain but did not change the peak frequency in frequency domain while chloride contamination attenuates the signal to smaller amplitude and lower peak frequency. Based on the results, a novel process is finally proposed for GPR-based corrosion detection.
In this research, laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the feasibility of using ground penetrating radar (GPR) for corrosion detection and/or monitoring, and the mechanism of corrosion caused GPR signal changes, taking into account the influence of several parameters: Chloride, rebar size and cover depth. With the understanding of the mechanism, a novel method for detecting reinforcement corrosion in concrete with GPR is proposed, together with a series of signal processing toolkits for corrosion visualization and image comparison.
The Berlin Congress Hall was a gift of the United States of America to Germany for the Berlin World Exhibition in 1957. The elegantly double-curved roof was made from an advanced prestressed concrete construction. The construction followed the design by the American architect Hugh Stubbins with special structural modifications to comply with German construction rules. No early indications for failure initiation were detected before a sudden partial collapse. On May 21st, 1980, the Southern external roof overhang collapsed. In December 1980, Jörg Schlaich and his co-authors published a summarizing expert opinion about structural causes of failure. The present paper mainly introduces results of cause analysis made at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), mandated by the Public Prosecutor at the Berlin District Court to specify the causes of the sudden failure. This paper refers to BAM-publications about analyses that were performed under this mandate and published – most of them in German language – within the first years after failure. The expert's opinions comprise structural considerations materials investigations, metallographic analyses and corrosion. Nowadays experts have learnt from the failure and built a slightly modified roof in the original shape at the 750th birthday of the city of Berlin and re-opened the former Berlin Congress Hall to the public on May 9th, 1987. The Hall is now serving as the House of the Cultures of the World, following the initial intention of the hall.
A toolbox with non-destructive testing methods for the condition assessment of railway bridges
(2006)
The unified economic structure of the European market requires a unified transport infrastructure to ensure seamless and barrierfree transportation of passengers and goods. The European commission is funding the European Integrated Project Sustainable Bridges to comply with future traffic demands. The main objective of the project is to reliably assess and upgrade the bridge infrastructure for the required increase of axle loads and transport volume. 32 Institutes from 12 countries develop unified procedures for the assessment and improvement of the existing railway bridge stock under the guidance and review of six major European railway companies.
Non destructive testing (NDT) is given a high priority. One of the work packages concentrates on the potential of advanced NDT-methods and creates a toolbox with advisable methods for the condition assessment of all types of railway bridges. Although NDT-methods are implemented in the quality assurance process in many industries, their application in the railway infrastructure is not common. Only a few countries have included selected NDT-methods into advanced condition assessment procedures for the management of their bridge stock.
This paper describes also current activities to enhance pulse-phase thermography, impulse-radar and acoustic methods. The advanced methods enable infrastructure owners to verify construction plans, to assess structures, repair and strengthening quality or to identify in-service damages. Latest development is an automated scanning system for combined acoustic and electromagnetic measurements. The results are then combined through data fusion techniques to further increase their value for the bridge owners.
Complex special inspection of an old masonry arch bridge according to the Guideline on Inspection and Condition Assessment of Railway Bridges and numerical analysis of the structure are presented. The guideline summarises recommendations for the step-by-step investigation of railway bridges applying enhanced methods developed during the EU-funded project Sustainable Bridges. For the investigation of the arch barrel, the ballast parameters and the inner structure of the backfill behind the arch barrel a number of various advanced non-destructive and minor-destructive testing methods were applied. Deformation of the structure during load tests was measured using three independent measuring systems: laser vibrometer, LVDT and microwave radar. Results of calculations performed with 2D and 3D models based on FEM are compared with the field load tests. Sensitivity of the ultimate load of the structure to investigated parameters is studied in FE model. Some general conclusions according to methods of testing and modelling of masonry arch bridges are presented and discussed.
Complex special inspection of an old masonry arch bridge according to the Guideline on Inspection and Condition Assessment of Railway Bridges and numerical analysis of the structure are presented. The guideline summarises recommendations for the step-by-step investigation of railway bridges applying enhanced methods developed during the EU-funded project Sustainable Bridges. For the investigation of the arch barrel, the ballast parameters and the inner structure of the backfill behind the arch barrel a number of various advanced non-destructive and minor-destructive testing methods were applied. Deformation of the structure during load tests was measured using three independent measuring systems: laser vibrometer, LVDT and microwave radar. Results of calculations performed with 2D and 3D models based on FEM are compared with the field load tests. Sensitivity of the ultimate load of the structure to investigated parameters is studied in FE model. Some general conclusions according to methods of testing and modelling of masonry arch bridges are presented and discussed.
The European infrastructure asset has developed historically and is characterized by nation-specific construction processes. Inspection, condition assessment, and maintenance procedures differ from country to country. Because of historical and political circumstances, national infrastructure assets are maintained at different levels, too. Since the budget for maintaining the bridge infrastructure less and less meets the demands of a growing bridge stock, bridge inspection, maintenance, and life-cycle considerations gain higher importance. The need exists to develop effective diagnosis tools for early detection of construction faults, defects, and deterioration processes during inspection, to keep the bridge infrastructure at an acceptable level, from structural safety and economic viewpoints. An overview on the latest research projects and integrated bridge management systems in Europe is given. The potentials of nondestructive testing (NDT) are presented, with special focus on technical advances of NDT applications to reinforced concrete (RC) and posttensioned concrete bridges. Although NDT is not regularly integrated in these processes, the application brings valuable information on the current condition of the inner structure in called-in special inspections. NDT-automation and the application of imaging echo methods, combined with advanced data processing, produce a surprising level of information about the inner structure of massive RC slabs up to a depth of about 60 cm. Detected inhomogeneity and scatterers of acoustic or electromagnetic waves can be visualized in vertical or horizontal slices through the structure or animations. The fusion of different three-dimensional data sets of processed data improves the interpretability and accuracy of the results.
The vulnerability of low-quality concrete of some bridges to ageing and deterioration while they are exposed to environmental conditions during their service life, influence of growing population and climate changes, is a well-known effect and requires survey. For survey, the development of a low cost, cost-efficient sensor network to be embedded for continuous or attached to the surface for periodic monitoring is essential.
Changing ground water conditions, flood or even leakage in fresh or disposal of waste water can lead to in-creased moisture content in building materials and structural elements as walls or floors. Moisture allows the transport of other adverse chemicals that might reduce the durability of structures. The paper presents a feasibility study about the capability of microwave modules as bluetooth® or ZigBee with frequency range at 2,4 GHz to create advanced Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) for estimation and visualization of moisture distribution in infrastructure assets. It was found that the value of the received signal strength indication (RSSI) depends on the moisture content and can be the basis for the moisture distribution inside a massive structure.
The microwave modules may be used to compose networks outside and inside of building materials or structural elements. The higher the number of connections between BLE modules, the more precise and the more distant information can be obtained from the network. Mesh networking was applied to increase the quantitative information.
For almost 15 years, carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) plates and sheets have been used for strengthening and repair of civil engineering structures. CFRP plates were applied to upgrade structures for change in use or increasing traffic load. CFRP laminates have also been used to repair deteriorated structures such as multi-storey parking or bridges. The execution quality and condition of the strengthening measure in terms of bond integrity were neither monitored nor tested systematically. Inspectors eventually applied simple hammer knocking during regular main inspection for subjective noise distinction as a measure for eventual insufficient bond. This paper presents the feasibility and the limitations of low-frequency transversal ultrasonic waves with dry-coupling point-contact sensors for inspection and defect detection between CFRP laminate and concrete surfaces. The German Centre of Competence in Civil Engineering (DIBt) has initiated a national research project [Helmerich et al. (2012). Condition analysis of bonded CFRP-applications on concrete structures by means of non-destructive testing [in German: Zustandsuntersuchung von CFK-Klebeverstärkungen an Betonbauteilen mittels zerstörungsfreier Prüfung (ZfP)]. Final, internal project report], carried out at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Germany. The aim of the project was to present a potential non-destructive testing method for bond defect detection as a measure for the durability of the strengthening system more than 10 years after application.
Trans-European corridors for transport of people and goods require strengthening of bridges to carry increased axle loads in terms of absolute axle loads and of their frequency. Most of the bridges along highways are reinforced or prestressed concrete bridges.
Since the late 1990s, CFRP laminates have been applied to box girder and T-beam bridges to increase the overall capacity. Although regular inspections are carried out, no special method was available to test the bond condition of CFRP laminates after being in Service for more than ten years. The German Center of Competence in Civil Engineering is aware of this need and funded a research project to investigate the bond condition by means of advanced non-destructive testing (NDT).
Cracks perpendicular to the surface may be initial indicators for a deterioration process of concrete structures. Moisture penetrates inside the structure and transports adverse chemicals. The paper presents an investigation about the reliability of available commercial non-destructive evaluation techniques to reliably estimate the depth of surface-breaking cracks in reinforced concrete structures. Aim of the study was the investigation of surface-braking cracks under laboratory conditions. Commercial acoustic devices as impact echo equipment, single ultrasonic transducers and arrays were applied even if they have not been developed for this purpose. The commercial software and descriptions for application was followed strictly to compare the function, precision and repeatability of the measurements. Both, perpendicular notches and cracks have been considered. The study was completed with a discussion about reference specimens. The study was the basis for formulation of gaps in research. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has initiated and funded a Project.
Assessment of existing steel structures - A guideline for estimation of the remaining fatigue life
(2007)
In many countries and regions, traffic infrastructure projects suffer from low funding. The budget is tight for new infrastructure building and, thus, the importance of inspection, maintenance and assessment of the existing traffic infrastructure increases. A new fatigue assessment guideline for the estimation of the remaining fatigue life of steel bridges has been written by technical committee 6 of the European Convention of Constructional Steelwork (ECCS). It will be a useful tool for the complementation of bridge management systems, used commonly for condition assessment.
Design specifications and rules are harmonised throughout Europe. They are under constant development, but there is still a lack of forwarding and concentrating experiences as well as developing rules for the fatigue assessment on existing steel structures. This paper presents a guideline with a proposed fatigue assessment procedure for existing steel structures embedded in information about old materials and non-destructive testing methods for the evaluation of details (ECCS 2004, Assessment of existing steel structures). Particular attention is paid on remedial measures which are proposed for weak details and damages caused by fatigue. The developed fatigue assessment procedure can be applied to existing steel structures under cyclic loading in general, but the guideline concentrates on the existing traffic infrastructure made from old steel, because of the public importance. The proposed procedure summarizes, regroups and arranges the knowledge in the field of assessment on existing steel to be applied by practicing engineers. The procedure is a milestone in knowledge transfer from a state of scientific knowledge to state-of-the-art.
Cast iron arch bridges were built in the late 18th and early 19th century across Europe. After the famous Iron Bridge in the Ironbridge Gorge in Coalbrookdale in England, being now part of the UNESCO world heritage, many cast iron bridges followed and substituted timber bridges. A series of cast iron bridges has been built in central Europe, in Laasan, Breslau, (now Wrocław), in Berlin, Potsdam, Bad Muskau and Schwerin. The paper gives an overview about the current state of some remaining cast iron arch bridges, typical damage cases, material properties and rehabilitation. Most of the old cast iron arch bridges serve as pedestrian bridges. Some of these bridges have been strengthened to increase the traffic load. Different rehabilitation measures as substitution of parts of the bridges and strengthening using Carbon Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) are discussed.
Following the long tradition of the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) since Adolf Martens has created first routines in failure analysis (Ruske, 1971), BAM has been frequently called-in by the Berlin Traffic Association (BVG) to carry out root-cause analyses of the Berlin suburban train line (Frahm, 1902), reported in Helmerich and Herter (1999), Helmerich (2000), Nega and Winkler (1998), Helmerich et al. (2002) and Herter et al. (2002). This was also the case in the 1990s, when BVG-inspectors found cracks in hanging, barrel-like shaped ballast plates of the Berlin underground steel viaducts during regularly scheduled inspections. Cracks were located parallel to the riveted connection between the ballast plates and the upper chord of the viaduct cross girder steel profiles. For safety reasons, the operator BVG immediately stopped the cracks by means of drilling stop holes at the crack tips. As intermediate measures, longitudinal steel profiles were spanned below the rail axes between the cross girders affected to stabilize the track in longitudinal direction. The inspection period was shortened from years to few weeks. BAM was mandated to measure strains under regular train traffic to analyze the cause of the cracks. Strains were measured in identical connections as the damaged details, which did not suffer from cracks at the time of the measurement. The traffic-induced strain cycles and thus the resulting strain differences in the questionable cross sections were higher than expected and resulted in stresses of max. 85.8 MPa. Calculations showed that the credible remaining fatigue life for this particular structural detail was exceeded after 68 years according to nowadays standards. Extensive discussions, further field and laboratory tests followed to develop a rehabilitation plan for retrofitting the structure with minimum interference of the traffic. Finally, a method with minimum intervention to the structure was elaborated by a consortium of the operator BVG, BAM and producers based on further laboratory and field tests at BAM. Now, the viaduct is saved for the future.
Dokumentation von Ermüdungsversuchen an genieteten Querträgern einer schweißeisernen Trogbrücke
(2001)
Ermüdungsversuche an alten genieteten Stahlbrücken: Beurteilung der verbleibenden Restnutzungsdauer von Querträgern einer originalen schweißeisernen Trogbrücke nach fast einhundert jähriger Nutzung. Verbindungen und Elemente des alten Bauwerks sind zunächst unter Verkehr und nach dem Abriss der Brücke im Labor getestet worden. Es kamen sowohl Dehnungsmessungen als auch zerstörungsarme bzw. Zerstörungsfreie Prüfverfahren zur Anwendung. Materialuntersuchungen, auch neuartige, wie z. B. Rissfortschrittversuche, Gefügeuntersuchungen und Zugversuche ergänzten die Untersuchungen.
Für den Entwurf neuer Bauwerke gewährleistet die Einhaltung aktuell gültiger Normenwerke eine ausreichende Sicherheit. Diese Normen und die zugehörigen Lieferbedingungen gelten ausschließlich für Neubauten aus heute produzierten Stählen. Technische Regeln für die Begutachtung alter Materialien, wie sie zuletzt im Beiblatt 2-"Altstahl im Hochbau" von 1948 zur DIN 1050 "Stahl im Hochbau" [35] verankert waren, sind zurückgezogen worden. Bei der Bewertung alter Baukonstruktionen greift man häufig auf vorhandene Materialinformationen aus Bauwerksunterlagen, Vorschriften und Berechnungen, z.B. im Verantwortungsbereich der Deutschen Bahn AG, zurück. Die geltende Richtlinie der Modulfamilie 805.001 der Deutschen Bahn AG [21] erlaubt in Abschnitt 2, Absatz (2) sogar ausdrücklich die Nutzung alter Berechnungen und Vorschriften, wenn bei gleich bleibender Nutzung nur Eingriffe von untergeordneter Bedeutung, wie kleine Reparaturen oder lokale Verstärkungen, vorgenommen werden. Ein Eingriff in die Tragsicherheit des Bauwerkes ist nicht zulässig. Für umfassendere Maßnahmen und für Bauwerke außerhalb des Zuständigkeitsbereiches der Deutschen Bahn AG oder für die Bewertung der Konstruktionen bei Umnutzung bzw. bei umfangreichen Maßnahmen ist diese Ausnahme nicht anwendbar. Daraus ergibt sich für den auf die Beurteilung und Bewertung von bestehenden Bauwerken spezialisierten Ingenieur der Bedarf, alte Materialien, Bauweisen und Vorschriften zu kennen und zu verstehen. Aufwändige Versuchsserien an originalen Vollwand- und Fachwerkträgern zur Ermittlung von Schadensmechanismen im einstufigen Ermüdungsversuch werden vorgestellt. Sie resultieren in erweiterten Kenntnissen über Versagenskriterien für genietete Bauteile. Die Weiterentwicklung und Erprobung einander ergänzender zerstörungsfreier und minimal-invasiver (zerstörungsarmer) Verfahren verbessert die Schadensfrüherkennung an ermüdungsbeanspruchten Stahlkonstruktionen, z.B. bei Inspektionen. Intensive Materialuntersuchungen zur Mikrostruktur und zu mechanischen Materialparametern tragen zum Verständnis bestimmter, für moderne Stähle untypischer, Schadensmechanismen bei. Die interdisziplinäre Kooperation mit den Laboratorien der Abteilungen V, VIII und S bei der Analyse von Rissentstehung und Risswachstum erweitert die verfügbaren Kenntnisse über das Versagensverhalten alter Stähle und Stahlverbindungen. Aufbauend auf einer Darstellung der Entwicklung alter Bauweisen und Bauwerke, einer Literatur- und Normenanalyse zu Lieferbedingungen von Stahl für das Bauwesen und zu konstruktiven Details, so wie sie um die Jahrhundertwende zwischen dem 19. und 20. Jh. üblich waren, werden Materialuntersuchungen an alten Stählen, Ermüdungsversuche und Messungen an bestehenden Brückenbauwerken aus alten Stählen präsentiert. Innerhalb des Projektes gab es eine enge Zusammenarbeit mit Brückenbetreibern, die gewährleistete, dass die Ergebnisse aus Prüfungen, Forschung und Entwicklung direkt in die Praxis, aber auch in interne Vorschriften der Brückeneigner überführt werden konnten. So wurde in der Subgroup Remaining Fatigue Life of Bridge Structures der Gruppe ECOBRIDGE der Europäischen Eisenbahn Vereinigung UIC unter Beteiligung der BAM eine Machbarkeitsstudie [1] zusammengestellt. Auf dieser Basis erarbeitete ein bilaterales Konsortium der Schweiz und Deutschlands im Auftrag der Schweizerischen Bundesbahn und der Deutschen Bahn mit Ermüdungsspezialisten der RWTH Aachen, der EPFL Lausanne und der BAM einen Vereinheitlichten Sicherheitsnachweis für die Beurteilung alter Eisenbahnbrücken aus Stahl [2]. Der Abschlussbericht liegt seit 2001 im federführenden Institut für Stahlbau der RWTH Aachen vor. Die Überführung der Forschungsergebnisse in eine Richtlinie der Europäischen Konvention für Stahlbau (EKS) mit empfehlendem Charakter liegt als Entwurf [4] vor. Die Veröffentlichung nach abschließender Begutachtung durch namhafte auf Altstahl und Ermüdung spezialisierte Fachkollegen durch die EKS ist in Vorbereitung.
Opportunities and Limitation of Non-destructive Testing in Condition Assessment of Bridge Structures
(2009)
Condition assessment of old railway bridges, a scientific cooperation between Berlin and Wroclaw
(2009)
The construction process of the New Berlin Main Station, the former Lehrter Bahnhof, has been monitored from the beginning. In this station, the main European east-western railway connection crosses the northsouth railway lines. Four east-western bridges, built in the first construction phase, carry the platforms for international lines and suburban train tracks. The outer two bridges carry the supports of the relatively flat glass roof, too. Since the glass roof is very sensitive to vertical displacements, the authorities required a complex monitoring system. This case study describes long-term measurements with classical and enhanced innovative sensors to monitor vertical displacements of neighboring glass roof supports. Additionally, traditional strain gauges were embedded parallel to long-gauge length fiber-optic strain sensors in the near-surface concrete of the partial prestressed bridges to reliably survey possible changes.
The measurements on site go along with long-term laboratory tests on prestressed concrete beams. Researchers study load effects and long-term environmental influences on two large-scale model beams, inside and outside the laboratory.
The monitoring system has been working stable as an early warning system for any changes of the structural conditions since 2002. All data are available on line for both the project team and the owner.
Acoustic measurement methods
(2008)