Open Access

The assessment and maintenance of reinforced concrete structures depends largely on knowledge of the chloride content and chloride ingress. Common methods are the wet chemical analysis of drill dust or powder from ground drill core segments. However, due to the homogenization process, this approach often fails to detect locally elevated chloride levels. A state-of-the-art alternative method is laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which offers rapid analysis and the possibility of detecting several chemical elements simultaneously. This method is particularly characterized by its ability to measure light elements such as hydrogen, carbon or sodium. The spatial resolution of LIBS is usually 0.25 mm but can be increased to 0.1 mm or less if required. BARG, is the first commercial building materials laboratory in Germany to use LIBS in practice. The current LIBS setup enables rapid, spatial quantification of the chlorine content and at the same time the creation of element maps that visually represent the distribution of essential elements in the concrete. This method can be used to localize areas of elevated chlorine content, particularly in cracks or near reinforcing bars. With the ability to analyze several elements simultaneously, LIBS can determine measurement points associated with the cement phase and, taking into account the water content, relate the measured contents directly to the cement mass. The detailed ingress profiles determined by LIBS provide essential data for the estimation of accurate chlorine diffusion coefficients, which are crucial for probabilistic lifetime predictions. The estimation of the carbon distribution enables the localization of carbonated regions and their effect on the chloride distribution. The possibility of quantitatively determining the sulfur distribution also indicates areas that are affected by a possible sulfate attack. The presentation uses practical examples to demonstrate the possibilities and advantages of the LIBS method. In addition, the newly published leaflet B14 of the German Society for Non-Destructive Testing (DGZfP) will be presented, which describes the use of LIBS for the quantitative determination of chloride content in concrete.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a valuable complement to established methods for the chemical analysis of concrete. Compared to conventional techniques, LIBS enables spatially resolved imaging of harmful ion distributions within the cementitious matrix. It allows the simultaneous detection of all relevant ions and degradation mechanisms, facilitating a better understanding of interacting processes. The benefits of multi-element analysis are illustrated through selected examples that highlight the method’s superior information content. Ion penetration profiles are recorded at a resolution of 0.25 mm, providing high-quality input data for service life modelling. Instead of drill dust, a 50 mm core sample is used. The measurement is automated, requires no chemical reagents or elaborate sample preparation, and is completed within minutes.