8.2 Zerstörungsfreie Prüfmethoden für das Bauwesen
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The majority of ultrasonic devices used for non-
destructive testing in civil engineering require contact with the
surface of the concrete (specimen), which significantly increases
the time required for the measurement. This makes it impractical
for extensive investigation of large-scale structures such as bridge
decks, foundations, or tunnels.
In a pioneering approach, fluidic oscillators are used as contact
free ultrasonic sources to overcome the aforementioned limi-
tations. These robust and cost-effective actuators require only
pressurised air and are ideally suited for harsh environments. At
a constant supply pressure, they generate a continuous mono-
frequent actuation signal. Further, varying the supply pressure
via a fast pressure regulator was found to generate a frequency
modulated signal which enabled time-of-flight measurement with
an added advantage of increased signal to noise ratio. To
demonstrate the feasibility of this novel idea of non-contact
ultrasound, the results of the initial tests are presented.
The majority of ultrasonic devices used for non-destructive testing in civil engineering require contact with the surface of the concrete (specimen), which significantly increases the time required for the measurement. This makes it impractical for extensive investigation of large-scale structures such as bridge decks, foundations, or tunnels.
In a pioneering approach, fluidic oscillators are used as contact
free ultrasonic sources to overcome the aforementioned limitations. These robust and cost-effective actuators require only pressurised air and are ideally suited for harsh environments. At a constant supply pressure, they generate a continuous monofrequent actuation signal. Further, varying the supply pressure via a fast pressure regulator was found to generate a frequency modulated signal which enabled time-of-flight measurement with an added advantage of increased signal to noise ratio. To demonstrate the feasibility of this novel idea of non-contact ultrasound, the results of the initial tests are presented.
The majority of ultrasonic devices used for non-destructive testing in civil engineering require contact with the surface of the concrete (specimen), which significantly increases the time required for the measurement. This makes it impractical for extensive investigation of large-scale structures such as bridge decks, foundations, or tunnels.
In a pioneering approach, fluidic oscillators are used as contact free ultrasonic sources to overcome the aforementioned limitations. These robust and cost-effective actuators require only pressurised air and are ideally suited for harsh environments. At a constant supply pressure, they generate a continuous mono-frequent actuation signal. Further, varying the supply pressure via a fast pressure regulator was found to generate a frequency modulated signal which enabled time-of-flight measurement with an added advantage of increased signal to noise ratio. To demonstrate the feasibility of this novel idea of non-contact ultrasound, the results of the initial tests are presented.
Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy – A Tool for Imaging the Chemical Composition of Concrete
(2022)
One of the most common causes of damage is the ingress of harmful ions into the concrete, which can lead to deterioration processes and affect structural performance. Therefore, the increasingly aging infrastructure is regularly inspected to assess durability. Regular chemical analysis can be useful to determine the extent and evolution of ion ingress and to intervene in a timely manner. This could prove more economical than extensive repairs for major damage, particularly for critical infrastructure. In addition to already established elemental analysis techniques in civil engineering such as potentiometric titration or X-ray fluorescence analysis, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) can provide further important complementary information and benefits. The possibilities of LIBS are demonstrated using the example of a drill core taken from a parking garage.
One of the most common causes of damage is the ingress of harmful ions into the concrete, which can lead to deterioration processes and affect structural performance. Therefore, the increasingly aging infrastructure is regularly inspected to assess durability. Regular chemical analysis can be useful to determine the extent and evolution of ion ingress and to intervene in a timely manner. This could prove more economical than extensive repairs for major damage, particularly for critical infrastructure. In addition to already established elemental analysis techniques in civil engineering such as potentiometric titration or X-ray fluorescence analysis, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) can provide further important complementary information and benefits. The possibilities of LIBS are demonstrated using the example of a drill core taken from a parking garage.
Galvanic corrosion protection by embedded zinc anodes is an accepted technique for the corrosion protection of reinforcing steel in concrete. Galvanic currents flow between the zinc anode and the steel reinforcement due to the potential difference that is in the range of a few hundred mV.
The ion distribution was studied on two steel reinforced concrete specimens admixed with 3 wt.% chloride/wt. cement and galvanically protected by a surface applied EZ-anode. On both specimens, a zinc anode was embedded and glued to the concrete surface by a geo-polymer-based chloride-free binder. At one specimen, the EZ-anode was operated for 2,5 years, the EZ-anode at the other specimen was not electrically connected to the reinforcement, this specimen serves as a reference. Both specimens have been stored under identical conditions. The ion distribution between the anode (EZ-ANODE) and cathode (steel reinforcement) was studied by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) after 7 months, 12 months, and 2,5 years. Results of the LIBS studies on the specimen with activated EZ-anode after 7 months, 12 months, and 2,5 years and of the reference specimen after 2,5 years are reported. Results show that diffusion of ions contributes to the changes in the ion distribution but migration, especially of chlorides towards the EZ-anode is significant despite the weak electric field – several hundred millivolts - generated by the galvanic current. Results show that chloride ions accumulate near the zinc-anode as in water-insoluble zinc-hydroxy chlorides - Simonkollite.
Existing concrete structures were usually designed for lifetimes of several decades. The current and urgently required efforts to increase sustainability and protect the environment will likely result in extended service lives up to 100 years. To achieve such objectives, it is required to assess structures over their entire lifecycles. Non-destructive testing (NDT) methods can reliably support the assessment of existing structures during the construction, operational, and decommissioning phases. One of the most important and safety-relevant components of a prestressed concrete structure are the tendons. NDT methods such as the ultrasonic echo method are suitable for both the detection and the localization of the tendons, i.e., the measurement of their geometrical position inside the component. The uniqueness of structures, concrete heterogeneity, and varying amounts of secondary components such as the reinforcement represent obstacles in the application of these methods in practice. The aim of this contribution is to demonstrate a practicable procedure, that can be used in the field to determine the parameters required for the measuring data analysis without extensive knowledge about the investigated components. For this purpose, a polyamide reference specimen is used to show which steps are required to obtain reliable imaging information on the position of tendons from the measurement data. The procedure is then demonstrated on a concrete test specimen that covers various relevant and practice-oriented test scenarios, such as varying tendon depths and component thicknesses.
Each engineering decision is based on a number of more or less accurate information. In assessment of existing structures, additional relevant information collected with on-site inspections facilitate better decisions. However, observed data basically represents the physical characteristic of interest with an uncertainty. This uncertainty is a measure of the inspection quality and can be quantified by expressing the measurement uncertainty. The internationally accepted rules for calculating measurement uncertainty are well established and can be applied straightforwardly in many practical cases. Nevertheless, the calculations require the occasionally time-consuming development of an individually suitable measurement model. This contribution attempts to emphasize proposals for modelling the non-destructive depth measurement of tendons in concrete using the ultrasonic echo technique. The proposed model can serve as guideline for the determination of the quality of the measured information in future comparable inspection scenarios.
In addition to already established structural monitoring methods such as deformation, inclination or strain gauges or acoustic emission sensors, sonic or ultrasonic monitoring might provide valuable information about the condition or alteration of a structure. Sensors such as geophones, recording ambient noise in the sonic and subsonic frequency range can provide information beyond modal analysis by using interferometric methods. Wave velocities determined by this method are related to the elastic properties and stiffness of material and structure and can be converted into damage indicators. Embedded active ultrasonic transducer networks can provide more detailed insight about deterioration or damages again, using interferometric technologies. This approach is extremely sensible, detecting relative change in velocity on down to 10-5. These methods, including benefits and remaining challenges, are demonstrated using data from a test structure at BAM’s test site demonstrating the case of prestress loss, and data from an actual bridge still under traffic.
Existing concrete structures were usually designed for lifetimes of several decades. The current and urgently required efforts to increase sustainability and protect the environment will likely result in extended service lives up to 100 years. To achieve such objectives, it is required to assess structures over their entire lifecycles. Non-destructive testing (NDT) methods can reliably support the assessment of existing structures during the construction, operational, and decommissioning phases. One of the most important and safety-relevant components of a prestressed concrete structure are the tendons. NDT methods such as the ultrasonic echo method are suitable for both the detection and the localization of the tendons, i.e., the measurement of their geometrical position inside the component. The uniqueness of structures, concrete heterogeneity, and varying amounts of secondary components such as the reinforcement represent obstacles in the application of these methods in practice. The aim of this contribution is to demonstrate a practicable procedure, that can be used in the field to determine the parameters required for the measuring data analysis without extensive knowledge about the investigated components. For this purpose, a polyamide reference specimen is used to show which steps are required to obtain reliable imaging information on the position of tendons from the measurement data. The procedure is then demonstrated on a concrete test specimen that covers various relevant and practice-oriented test scenarios, such as varying tendon depths and component thicknesses.
Approaches to the development of a (GUM-) measurement model for the calculation of measurement uncertainties in the localization of tendons in concrete structures using the ultrasonic echo method including demonstration were presented.
Imaging of results in NDT-CE: Strength and limitations in the use of Radar vs. Ultrasonic Echo
(2022)
Presentation on behalf of the co-author specified in BAM-Publica.
Study on capabilities of volume methods (GPR, Ultrasonic Echo) regarding lateral and depth localisation of reinforcement and tendons in concrete components. Varied boundary conditions: spacing and diameter of both the near surface rebars of the mesh, and the reflectors of interest, as well as component thickness and concrete cover. Please find corresponding references on slide 2.
Galvanic corrosion protection by embedded zinc anodes is an accepted technique for the corrosion protection of reinforcing steel in concrete. Galvanic currents flow between the zinc anode and the steel reinforcement due to the potential difference that is in the range of a few hundred mV. The ion distribution was studied on two steel reinforced concrete specimens admixed with 3 wt.% chloride/wt. cement and galvanically protected by a surface applied EZ-anode. On both specimens, a zinc anode was embedded and glued to the concrete surface by a geo-polymer-based chloride-free binder. At one specimen, the EZ-anode was operated for 2,5 years, the EZ-anode at the other specimen was not electrically connected to the reinforcement, this specimen serves as a reference. Both specimens have been stored under identical conditions. The ion distribution between the anode (EZ-anode) and cathode (steel reinforcement) was studied by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) after 7 months, 12 months, and 2,5 years. Results of the LIBS studies on the specimen with activated EZ-anode after 7 months, 12 months, and 2,5 years and of the reference specimen after 2,5 years are reported. Results show that diffusion of ions contributes to the changes in the ion distribution but migration, especially of chlorides towards the EZ-anode is significant despite the weak electric field – several hundred millivolts - generated by the galvanic current. Results show that chloride ions accumulate near the zinc-anode as in water-insoluble zinc-hydroxy chlorides - Simonkolleit.
Underground sealing structures are necessary to seal radioactive or toxic waste in underground repositories. A special version of MgO concrete is used in the mine in Teutschenthal and applied at a large-scale test with the aim to provide a low permeability barrier. The test structures (up to 10 m long) were created by shotcreting. Besides destructive tests, non-destructive ultrasonic measurements have been evaluated for quality assurance to monitor potential anomalies such as cracks, concrete inhomogeneities, and delamination. We show results of ultrasonic measurements with a multi-transducer system used at the front and from the side of the concrete structure. Images are obtained by synthetic aperture focusing techniques. The boundaries between concreting sections are not visible in the ultrasonic images systematically so that a successful concreting is assumed, which is confirmed by the low permeabilities observed. Several reflectors up to a depth of 1.2 m are identified and interpreted as potential damages in the concrete. Phase analysis of prominent reflectors reveal a negative impedance contrast thus indicating air filled voids, cracks or delamination. Boreholes through some of the identified reflectors are used to verify the results from ultrasonic measurements. Additionally, an experiment with incorporated artificial defects was undertaken to analyse the reliability of the applied methods. Overall, the conducted tests show the potential of ultrasonic measurements to detect critical anomalies. Despite challenges at small-scale structures (cm-order), large-scale anomalies can be identified. Consequently, implementing ultrasonic monitoring during and after the construction of concrete sealing structures has shown its potential as a tool for quality assurance, but needs further development and validation.
Multifaceted developments for pre-disposal management of low and intermediate level radioactive waste are undertaken in the EC funded project PREDIS. In work package 7, innovations in cemented waste handling and pre-disposal storage are advanced by testing and evaluating. To provide better means for safe and effective monitoring of cemented waste packages including prediction tools to assess the future integrity development during pre-disposal activities, several monitoring and digital tools are evaluated and improved. Both safety enhancement (e. g. less exposure of testing personnel) and cost effectiveness are part of the intended impact. Current methods to pack, store, and monitor cemented wastes are identified, analysed and improved. Innovative integrity testing and monitoring techniques applied to evaluate and demonstrate package and storage quality assurance are further developed. The work includes but is not limited to inspection methods such as muon imaging, wireless sensors integrated into waste packages as well as external package and facility monitoring such as remote fiber optical sensors. The sensors applied will go beyond radiation monitoring and include proxy parameters important for long term integrity assessment (e. g. internal pressure). The measured data will be used in digital twins of the packages for specific simulations (geochemical, integrity) providing a prediction of future behaviour. Machine Learning techniques trained by the characterization of older packages will help to connect the models to the actual data. As data handling, processing and fusion are crucial for both the monitoring and the digital twin model, all data (measured and simulated) will be collected in a joint data base and connected to a decision framework. Finally, the implementation of the improved techniques will be tested at actual facilities. An overview about various relevant tools, their interconnections, and first research results will be shown.
New materials and innovative monitoring for safe sealing structures in underground repositories
(2022)
Within the project SealWasteSafe, we advance construction materials and monitoring concepts of sealing structures applied for underground disposal of nuclear waste. As these engineered barriers have high demands concerning integrity, an innovative alkali-activated material (AAM) is improved and tested on various laboratory scales that is highly suitable for the application in salt as a host rock. This AAM has a low reaction kinetics related to a preferential slow release of the heat of reaction in comparison to alternative salt concretes based on Portland cement or magnesium oxychloride cements. Hence, crack formation due to thermally induced strain is reduced. A comprehensive multi-sensory monitoring scheme is developed and investigated to compare the setting process of AAM and salt concrete for manufactured specimens (100-300 l). The analysed parameters include temperature and humidity of the material, acoustic emissions, and strain variations recorded by fiber optic cables. Passive sensor systems based on radiofrequency identification technology (RFID) embedded in the concrete allow for wireless access and are compared to conventional cabled systems for temperature and humidity measurements. Furthermore, ultrasonic methods are used for quality assurance to detect obstacles, potential cracks and delamination. Field layout and applied imaging techniques are optimised to enhance the image quality. To characterise the inside of the test engineered barrier and achieve a proof-of-concept, an ultrasonic borehole probe is developed to allow for phased arrays that can further improve the detection of potential cracks. Modelling results and first analysis of half-spherical specimen prove the reliability of the directional response caused by the phased arrays of the newly constructed ultrasonic borehole probe. Overall, the project SealWasteSafe improves the construction material, multi-sensory monitoring concepts and ultrasonics for quality assurance. Particularly for salt as a host rock, this will help to develop safe sealing structures for nuclear waste disposal.
Underground sealing structures are necessary to seal radioactive or toxic waste in underground repositories. Particularly developed MgO concrete is used in the mine in Teutschenthal and applied at a large-scale test with the aim to provide concrete with low permeabilities. The test structures (up to 10 m long) were created with the help of a shotcrete procedure. Besides destructive tests, non-destructive ultrasonic measurements are used for quality assurance to monitor potential anomalies such as cracks, concrete inhomogeneities, and delamination. We show results of ultrasonic measurements with a multi-transducer system used at the front site of the concrete structure. Images are obtained by synthetic aperture focusing techniques. Concreting sections are not systematically imaged so that a successful concreting is assumed as also indicated by observed low permeabilities. Several reflectors up to a depth of 1.2 m are identified and interpreted as potential damages in the concrete. Phase analysis of prominent reflectors reveal a negative impedance contrast thus indicating air filled voids, cracks or delamination. Boreholes through some of the identified reflectors are used to verify the results from ultrasonic measurements. Additionally, an experiment with incorporated defects is undertaken to analyse the reliability of the applied methods. Overall, the conducted tests show the great potential of ultrasonic measurements to detect critical anomalies. Despite challenges at small-scale structures (cm-order), large-scale anomalies can be identified. Implementing ultrasonic monitoring during and after the construction of concrete sealing structures is recommended as a tool for quality assurance.
Geophysical methods are able to contribute significantly to geotechnical site characterization. In-situ parameters are collected and gaps between boreholes or other direct tests are filled with information. However the limited resolution has to be considered and the indirect geophysical parameters have to be translated into something geotechnically useful. Moreover, the limitations have to be evaluated when including geophysical data into geostatistical models. If done properly, the use of geophysics will help in an efficient and effective site characterization. A comprehensive overview on existing geophysical (mostly seismic) methods is given as well as information on the calibration of geophysical against geotechnical parameters, pitfalls and limitations and some hints how to include these data into geostatistical/geotechnical models.
The Boltzmann plot is one of the most widely used methods for determining the temperature in different types of laboratory plasmas. It operates on the logarithm as a function of the dimensional argument, which assumes that the correct physical units are used. In many works using the Boltzmann method, there is no analysis of the dimension of this argument, which may be the cause of a potential error. This technical note offers a brief description of the method and shows how to correctly use physical units when using transcendental functions like the logarithm.
During their life span, concrete structures interact with many kinds of external mechanical loads. Most of these loads are considered in advance and result in reversible deformations. Nevertheless, some of the loads cause irreversible, sometimes unnoticed changes below the macroscopic scale depending on the type and dimension of the impact. As the functionality of concrete structures is often relevant to safety and society, their condition must be known and, therefore, assessed on a regular basis. Out of the spectrum of non-destructive monitoring methods, Coda Wave Interferometry using embedded ultrasonic sensors is one particularly sensitive technique to evaluate changes to heterogeneous media. However, there are various influences on Coda waves in concrete, and the interpretation of their superimposed effect is ambiguous. In this study, we quantify the relations of uniaxial compression and uniaxial tension on Coda waves propagating in normal concrete. We found that both the signal correlation of ultrasonic signals as well as their velocity variation directly reflect the stress change in concrete structures in a laboratory environment. For the linear elastic range up to 30% of the strength, we calculated a velocity variation of −0.97‰/MPa for compression and 0.33%/MPa for tension using linear regression. In addition, these parameters revealed even weak irreversible changes after removal of the load. Furthermore, we show the time-dependent effects of shrinkage and creep on Coda waves by providing the development of the signal parameters over time during half a year together with creep recovery. Our observations showed that time-dependent material changes must be taken into account for any comparison of ultrasonic signals that are far apart in time. The study’s results demonstrate how Coda Wave Interferometry is capable of monitoring stress changes and detecting even small-size microstructural changes. By indicating the stated relations and their separation from further impacts, e.g., temperature and moisture, we anticipate our study to contribute to the qualification of Coda Wave Interferometry for its application as an early-warning system for concrete structures.
Responsible treatment of the environment and resources is a key element of sustainability. The building and construction industry is one of the largest consumers of natural resources. Consequently, there is a particular need for regulations and technologies that help to create closed material cycles. From the technological point of view, such efforts are complicated by the growing material diversity and the amount of composites contained in present and future construction and demolition waste (CDW). Nowadays, simple but proven techniques like manual sorting are mainly used. However, this practice not only poses health risks and dangers to the staff performing the work, but also relies on merely obvious, visually striking differences. Automated, sensor-based sorting of these building materials could complement or replace this practice to improve processing speed, recycling rates, sorting quality, and prevailing health conditions. The preliminary results for the identification of a wide variety of building materials with LIBS are presented.
Concrete structures often show severe damage during their lifetime. One such damage is pitting corrosion of the steel reinforcement caused by chloride ingress into the porous concrete structure. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a promising method in civil engineering, which is used for detection of chlorine in concrete structures in addition to conventional methods of wet chemistry. To assess LIBS as a trustful analytical technique, its accuracy and robustness is carefully tested. The presentation will outline the results of the interlaboratory comparison of chlorine quantification in cement paste samples, which was carried out by 12 laboratories in 10 countries. Two sets of samples with chloride content ranging from 0.06-1.95 wt.% in the training set and 0.23-1.51 wt.% in the test sample set (“unknowns”), with additional variations in the type of cement and chlorine source (salt type) were sent to the laboratories. The overall result demonstrates that LIBS is suitable for the quantification of the investigated sample compositions: average relative bias was mostly below 15 %. Considering that the laboratories did not receive instructions on how to perform the analysis or how to process the data, the results can be evaluated as a true status quo of the LIBS technique for this type of analysis.
This study aims to develop a real time structural health monitoring method by ultrasonic tests combined with advanced six component (6C) translation and rotation measurements. Conventionally, the investigation of the velocity and acceleration response in the translation direction is used to obtain the eigenfrequencies of structures. Recently the measurement of rotation has been considered to fully characterize the dynamic behavior of structures. This research undertakes the evaluation of a novel 6C sensor (IMU50-iXblue) with components originally developed for navigation for the purpose of bridge monitoring. However, as for all vibration recordings, there is a certain influence of environmental conditions (mainly temperature) which may affect evaluation and the results of structural assessment. We propose applying the cross-correlation function to the 6C ambient vibration signals to reconstruct wave propagation and using coda wave interferometry (CWI) to obtain internal velocity variation from waveforms. A field experiment on a large-scale prestressed concrete bridge model is presented. To verify that we are able to identify the pre-stress loss even in presence of temperature effects, we perform measurements in two different scales: the ultrasonic and output-only, vibration measurements. The change in the structural properties due to the pre-stress loss should be detected by the pulse velocity change. The results reveal both the performance and advantages of ultrasonic techniques and the capabilities of 6C sensors. To conclude, the application of CWI to wave signals contributes to a comprehensive assessment for bridge monitoring.
The acquisition and appropriate processing of relevant information about the considered system remains a major challenge in assessment of existing structures. Both the values and the validity of computed results such as failure probabilities essentially depend on the quantity and quality of the incorporated knowledge. One source of information are onsite measurements of structural or material characteristics to be modeled as basic variables in reliability assessment. The explicit use of (quantitative) measurement results in assessment requires the quantification of the quality of the measured information, i.e., the uncertainty associated with the information acquisition and processing. This uncertainty can be referred to as measurement uncertainty. Another crucial aspect is to ensure the comparability of the measurement results.This contribution attempts to outline the necessity and the advantages of measurement uncertainty calculations in modeling of measurement data-based random variables to be included in reliability assessment. It is shown, how measured data representing time-invariant characteristics, in this case non-destructively measured inner geometrical dimensions, can be transferred into measurement results that are both comparable and quality-evaluated. The calculations are based on the rules provided in the guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM). The GUM-framework is internationally accepted in metrology and can serve as starting point for the appropriate processing of measured data to be used in assessment. In conclusion, the effects of incorporating the non-destructively measured data into reliability analysis are presented using a prestressed concrete bridge as case-study.
This study aims to develop a real-time monitoring method for the structural performance by ultrasonic testing in combination with six-component (6-C) translation and rotation measurements. So far, the recordings of the velocity and acceleration response in the translation direction have been used to obtain the eigenfrequencies of structures. Recently, measurement of rotation has been used to fully characterize the dynamic behavior of structures. In this research, 6-C sensors consisting of a three-component rotational seismometer and a three-component broadband seismometer are evaluated for their suitability for bridge monitoring. Since changes in environmental conditions such as temperature during vibration recordings affect the structural evaluation results, cross-correlation function is applied here to the 6-C ambient vibration signals to reconstruct the wave propagation on the one hand, and coda wave interferometry (CWI) is applied to obtain the internal velocity variation from waveforms on the other hand. In field tests on a large-scale prestressed concrete bridge model, it was verified whether the prestress loss can also be determined in presence of temperature effects. For this purpose, measurements were performed in two scales, ultrasonic and output-only vibration measurements. The change in structural properties due to the prestress loss should be detected by the pulse velocity change. The results demonstrate both the performance and advantages of ultrasonic techniques and the capabilities of 6-C sensors. Thus, the application of CWI to wave signals can contribute comprehensively to bridge monitoring.
Introduction of a monitoring system for Bingham fluids in additive manufacturing with concrete
(2022)
Freeform additive manufacturing of concrete structures is a rising technology in civil engineering with several fascinating advantages. Nonetheless, to ensure reliability and structural integrity, standards and quality control are required in the future to bring this technology into the market. As the concrete is manufactured continuously, continuous quality control of the printing process is also required, i.e. comprehensive process monitoring. At BAM, a test rig will be installed, enabling the printing of concrete structures with a maximum size of 2 m x 1 m x 1 m (l x w x h). Here, process monitoring is the focus of the test rig. In this study, we show the results of the first pump tests, including the measurement of several parameters such as temperature and pressure along the supply system, i.e. from the concrete pump to the printer head.
Die B1 Brücke am Altstädter Bahnhof in Brandenburg an der Havel wurde im Dezember 2019 aufgrund von während einer turnusmäßigen Inspektion entdeckten Rissen und Hohlstellen entlang der vorgespannten Längsträger gesperrt und im Mai 2021 abgebrochen. In der Zwischenzeit wurde die Brücke detailliert überwacht. Vor dem Abriss wurden zudem umfangreiche Untersuchungen zur Bestandsaufnahme und Schadensanalyse sowie Tests moderner Sensorik vorgenommen. Dabei konnte sowohl die richtige, zuvor nicht sicher bekannte Anzahl von Spanngliedern in den Querträgern sicher ermittelt werden als auch durch moderne Varianten der Schwingungsmessungen und der faseroptischen Sensorik zusätzliche Kenntnisse püber das Bauwerksverhalten ermittelt werden . In dem Beitrag werden die Verfahren mit ihren Möglichkeiten und Grenzen vorgestellt, die Ergebnissee an der Brücke in Brandenburg erläutert und zukünftige Einsatzmöglichkeiten diskutiert.
This contribution introduces an investigation of a large-scale prestressed concrete bridge model (“BLEIB” structure at the BAM-TTS open air test site) by means of on-site cooperative measurements. This bridge has an external post-tensioning system and has been instrumented with the ultrasonic transducers, temperature sensors and optical fibers for Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS). Our experiment was designed to test the suitability of the novel 6C sensors developed within the framework of the GIOTTO project – the IMU50. The IMU50 sensor enables vibration measurements in translation along three axes and rotation around three axes. The geophone sensors were considered for complementary measurements of vertical velocity response. In the experiment, several perturbations were achieved by controlling the external influence factors such as loading and prestressing changes. The aim of the integrated measurement strategy was to fully observe the results of the condition change and to verify the effectiveness of multiple sensors for bridge monitoring.
Introduction of a monitoring system for Bingham fluids in additive manufacturing with concrete
(2022)
Freeform additive manufacturing of concrete structures is a rising technology in civil engineering with several fascinating advantages. Nonetheless, to ensure reliability and structural integrity, standards and quality control are required in the future to bring this technology into the market. As the concrete is manufactured continuously, continuous quality control of the printing process is also required, i.e. comprehensive process monitoring. At BAM, a test rig will be installed, enabling the printing of concrete structures with a maximum size of 2 m x 1 m x 1 m (l x w x h). Here, process monitoring is the focus of the test rig. In this study, we show the results of the first pump tests, including the measurement of several parameters such as temperature and pressure along the supply system, i.e. from the concrete pump to the printer head.
Die B1 Brücke am Altstädter Bahnhof in Brandenburg an der Havel wurde im Dezember 2019 aufgrund von während einer turnusmäßigen Inspektion entdeckten Rissen und Hohlstellen entlang der vorgespannten Längsträger gesperrt und im Mai 2021 abgebrochen. In der Zwischenzeit wurde die Brücke detailliert überwacht. Vor dem Abriss wurden zudem umfangreiche Untersuchungen zur Bestandsaufnahme und Schadensanalyse sowie Tests moderner Sensorik vorgenommen. Dabei konnte sowohl die richtige, zuvor nicht sicher bekannte Anzahl von Spanngliedern in den Querträgern sicher ermittelt werden als auch durch moderne Varianten der Schwingungsmessungen und der faseroptischen Sensorik zusätzliche Kenntnisse püber das Bauwerksverhalten ermittelt werden . In dem Beitrag werden die Verfahren mit ihren Möglichkeiten und Grenzen vorgestellt, die Ergebnissee an der Brücke in Brandenburg erläutert und zukünftige Einsatzmöglichkeiten diskutiert.
This contribution introduces an investigation of a large-scale prestressed concrete bridge model (“BLEIB” structure at the BAM-TTS open air test site) by means of on-site cooperative measurements. This bridge has an external post-tensioning system and has been instrumented with the ultrasonic transducers, temperature sensors and optical fibers for Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS). Our experiment was designed to test the suitability of the novel 6C sensors developed within the framework of the GIOTTO project – the IMU50. The IMU50 sensor enables vibration measurements in translation along three axes and rotation around three axes. The geophone sensors were considered for complementary measurements of vertical velocity response. In the experiment, several perturbations were achieved by controlling the external influence factors such as loading and prestressing changes. The aim of the integrated measurement strategy was to fully observe the results of the condition change and to verify the effectiveness of multiple sensors for bridge monitoring.
Damage Assessment of Civil Structures Using Wave Propagation Analysis and Transmissibility Functions
(2022)
A common damage detection method in civil engineering is to monitor dynamic characteristics such as natural frequencies and modal shapes, which are directly related to the structural stiffness. However, the discrepancy in measured natural frequencies may result from environmental changes, the soil-structure interaction or effects caused by earthquakes. This makes it difficult to decide whether the local change in structural properties is caused by damage or other factors. To address this challenge and thus improve the current damage detection method, the wave propagation analysis method and the transmissibility relationship were considered. In our study, the wave propagation field in structures was reconstructed by applying the Normalized-Input-Output-Minimization (NIOM) method to vibration recordings. Wave velocities and transmissibility functions were considered as reference values for the damage indicators. This paper demonstrates the evaluation of local property changes in two examples of large-scale structures: a 14-story RC building and a 64 m long pedestrian bridge. The proposed damage indicators show a clear correspondence to structural changes.
Ultrasonic measurement technology has become indispensable in NDT-CE. Air-coupled ultrasonic (ACU) measurement techniques promise to reduce measurement time. However, the signal quality suffers from large specific impedance mismatch at the transducer-air and air-specimen interface. Additionally, large pressure amplitudes are necessary for the penetration depth required in NDT-CE applications. To address the specific requirements of ultrasonic testing in NDT-CE, a robust ACU transducer was developed, that generates ultrasound by quickly switching a pressurized air flow. The simple design of the fluidic transducer makes the device maintenance free and resilient against harsh environmental conditions. Since the signal is generated by aeroacoustics, there is no specific impedance mismatch between the transducer and the surrounding air. The ultrasonic signal exhibits frequencies in the 30-60 kHz range and is therefore well suited to penetrate heterogenous materials such as concrete. This contribution gives an introduction in the working principle and signal characteristics of the fluidic transducer. Its applicability to measurements in concrete is verified. A detailed outlook is given to discuss the future potential of fluidic ultrasonic actuators.
Several countries, which use or used nuclear power, started to destruct nuclear power plants. Thus, large amounts of radioactive waste have to be stored safely during the next decades. Large underground caverns will
be used a nuclear waste disposal. Once the cavern is full, a sealing construction is required. The sealing should avoid the contact to any fluids or substances of the storage barrels and reduce hazardous radiation.
Ultrasonic measurement technology has become indispensable in NDT-CE. Air-coupled ultrasonic (ACU) measurement techniques promise to reduce measurement time. However, the signal quality suffers from large specific impedance mismatch at the transducer-air and air-specimen interface. Additionally, large pressure amplitudes are necessary for the penetration depth required in NDT-CE applications.
To address the specific requirements of ultrasonic testing in NDT-CE, a robust ACU transducer was developed, that generates ultrasound by quickly switching a pressurized air flow. The simple design of the fluidic transducer makes the device maintenance free and resilient against harsh environmental conditions. Since the signal is generated by aeroacoustics, there is no specific impedance mismatch between the transducer and the surrounding air. The ultrasonic signal exhibits frequencies in the 30-60 kHz range and is therefore well suited to penetrate heterogenous materials such as concrete. This contribution gives an introduction in the working principle and signal characteristics of the fluidic transducer. A detailed outlook is given to discuss the future potential of fluidic ultrasonic actuators.
Recently, non-destructive testing in civil engineering (NDT-CE), in particular of concrete components, has successfully mastered the leap from research to practice. Several methods have been established for field inspections to determine the concrete cover of reinforcement or to estimate the compressive strength as well as other parameters related to the concrete material. In addition, the application of nondestructive testing is indispensable, if information about the inner structure - such as the location of rebars and tendon ducts or the damage-related condition assessment to detect grouting defects, honeycombs, delamination, or corrosion - is required. Besides the selection of a suitable NDT method and an appropriate inspection system, the reliability of the results depends largely on the person who applies the non-destructive inspection technique and evaluates the inspection results. To ensure a high quality of non-destructive concrete evaluation as well as to keep the uncertainty caused by the inspection personnel to a minimum, structured, consistent and regulated theoretical as well as practical training of inspection personnel is essential. To close this gap, the subcommittee of education (UA-A) within the committee for NDT-CE of the German Society for Nondestructive Testing (DGZfP) has been reactivated in 2018 to establish uniform training standards for nondestructive concrete inspections in the long term. The subcommittee consists of scientists, practitioners, authorities, and clients. So far, the national standard DIN 4871 “Non-destructive testing - Qualification and Certification of NDT personnel in Civil Engineering (NDT-CE)” was developed and is currently under review. This standard considers the civil-industry-specifics, for example, that standards for NDT of concrete, as well as related product standards with a few exceptions, still do not exist at the moment. Within this presentation, the concept, the connection to ISO 9712 and other standards as well as an overview of the developed German standard DIN 4871 will be presented.
Recently, non-destructive testing in civil engineering (NDT-CE), in particular of concrete components, has successfully mastered the leap from research to practice. Several methods have been established for field inspections to determine the concrete cover of reinforcement or to estimate the compressive strength as well as other parameters related to the concrete material. In addition, the application of non-destructive testing is indispensable, if information about the inner structure - such as the location of rebars and tendon ducts or the damage-related condition assessment to detect grouting defects, honeycombs, delamination, or corrosion - is required. Besides the selection of a suitable NDT method and an appropriate inspection system, the reliability of the results depends largely on the person who applies the non-destructive inspection technique and evaluates the inspection results. To ensure a high quality of non-destructive concrete evaluation as well as to keep the uncertainty caused by the inspection personnel to a minimum, structured, consistent, and regulated theoretical as well as practical training of inspection personnel is essential. To close this gap, the subcommittee of education and training (UA-A) within the committee for NDT-CE of the German Society for Non-Destructive Testing (DGZfP) has been reactivated in 2018 to establish uniform training standards for non-destructive concrete inspections in the long term. The subcommittee consists of scientists, practitioners, authorities, and clients. So far, the national standard DIN 4871 “Non-destructive testing - Qualification of NDT personnel in Civil Engineering (NDT-CE)” was developed. This standard considers the civil-industry-specifics, for example, that standards for NDT of concrete, as well as related product standards with a few exceptions, still do not exist at the moment. Within this presentation, the concept, the connection to ISO 9712 and other standards as well as an overview of the recently developed German standard DIN 4871 will be presented.
The ‘Gänstorbrücke’ bridge between the cities of Ulm and Neu-Ulm is one of the best-monitored bridges all over Germany. In addition to an already active bride monitoring system, we have equipped the bridge with 30 ultrasonic transducers to explore the monitoring possibilities at an in-service large-scale reinforced concrete structure with continuous active ultrasonic measurements. The monitoring system is based on the detection of small changes in the entire signal, especially the multiply scattered parts of the recording, the so-called coda. Applying Coda Wave Interferometry (CWI), subtle changes in the signal can be detected and related to changing velocities in the area between source and receiver. A comparison of the results from coda wave interferometry with the strain measurements of the permanent monitoring system shows a correlation between strain measurements and CWI results. We discuss the challenges of changing environmental conditions, pose for interpretation of the results, and highlight the advantages of embedded versus externally attached ultrasonic transducers in permanent bridge monitoring, especially when coda wave interferometry is applied.
The ‘G¨anstorbr¨ucke’ bridge between the cities of Ulm and Neu-Ulm is one of the best-monitored bridges all over Germany. In addition to an already active bride monitoring system, we have equipped the bridge with 30 ultrasonic transducers to explore the monitoring possibilities at an in-service large-scale reinforced concrete structure with continuous active ultrasonic measurements. The monitoring system is based on the detection of small changes in the entire signal, especially the multiply scattered parts of the recording, the so-called coda. Applying Coda Wave Interferometry (CWI), subtle changes in the signal can be detected and related to changing velocities in the area between source and receiver. A comparison of the results from coda wave interferometry with the strain measurements of the permanent monitoring system shows a correlation between strain measurements and CWI results. We discuss the challenges of changing environmental conditions, pose for interpretation of the results, and highlight the advantages of embedded versus externally attached ultrasonic transducers in permanent bridge monitoring, especially when coda wave interferometry is applied.
Within a DFG-funded research group, we investigate the possibility of concrete damage assessment with coda waves. Coda wave interferometry (CWI) can be a valuable asset to structural health monitoring (SHM) as we can detect small signal changes and quantify them with the calculation of relative velocity changes. By equipping an in-service road bridge with more than 24 embedded ultrasonic transducers, we want to analyze how methods developed within the research group perform in an uncontrollable environment. We evaluate individual source-receiver combinations for detection of temporal changes as well as the entire installed sensor array to create maps of material change comparing two distinct states of the bridge.
The project "SealWasteSafe" of the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (Berlin) deals with sealing structures applied for underground disposal of nuclear waste from two perspectives: material improvement for application in sealing constructions and feasibility study regarding multi-sensor approaches to ensure quality assurance and long-term monitoring.
One specimen of 150 l made of alkali-activated material, which was found innovative and suitable for sealing constructions based on preliminary laboratory studies, and another one made of conventional salt concrete, are manufactured with an integrated multi-sensory setup for quality assurance and long-term-monitoring. The specimens were left in their cast form and additionally thermally insulated to simulate the situation in the repository. The multi-sensory concept comprises RFID technology embedded in the specimens suppling material temperature and moisture measurements, integrated distributed fibre optic sensing allowing strain measurement and acoustic emission testing for monitoring crack formation. Overall, the suitability and the functionality of the sensors embedded into and attached to strongly alkaline (pH > 13 for the AAM) and salt corrosive (NaCl) environment was proven for the first 672 h.
First RFID measurement succeeded after 626 h for the alkali-activated material and after 192 h for the conventional salt concrete. Strain measurement based on fibre optic sensing turned out the alkali-activated material (> 1 mm/m) undergoing approximately twice the compression strain as the salt concrete (< 0.5 mm/m). In contrast, the acoustic emission first and single hits representing crack formation in numbers, was found for alkali-activated material half of that detected at the salt concrete.
Investigation of temperature effects on ultrasonic velocity in a prestressed concrete bridge model
(2022)
Ultrasonic measurements have recently been applied in the context of structural health monitoring in civil engineering. The ultrasonic method is very sensitive to environmental conditions and material property changes, which might be caused by prestress losses and loading effects on the bridge. However, it remains a challenge to identify the damage mechanisms causing structural property changes from the above mentioned factors influencing ultrasonics. The focus of this contribution is to investigate the correlation between ultrasonic velocities and temperature by the coda wave interferometry (CWI) analysis. Long-term monitoring of a prestressed concrete bridge model under field conditions was carried out to observe the effect of temperature. The homogeneous change in concrete caused by temperature was revealed by applying the CWI method. The threshold value of the best correlation coefficients for the linear regression of temperature and ultrasonic velocity changes was also studied. Experimental assessment will provide a ratio for temperature correction to evaluate the pre-stressing force decrease and its consequences on crack opening or extension.
This dataset contains raw data resulting from Impact-Echo measurements at the reference concrete block "IE Platte", located at BAM (German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing).
The specimen contains three polystyrene slabs and one polyethylene foil to act as reflectors. The specimen was produced in a three-step process. First, the base plate was cast. Second, the reflectors were taped to the base plate. Finally, the upper layer was cast on top of base plate and reflectors. A drawing is contained in the dataset.
The Impact-Echo method is based on the excitation of the zero-group-velocity frequency of the first symmetric Lamb mode of a plate-like structure, in order to assess its thickness. Numerous publications elaborate on Impact-Echo theory, examples are (Gibson and Popovics 2005, Schubert and Köhler 2008 , Abraham and Popovics 2010).
The measurements have been conducted using a setup that contains only commercially available components. The setup consists of an Olson CTG-2 concrete thickness gauge (Olsen Instruments, USA) for actuation and sensing and an 8-bit NI USB-5132 digital storage oscilloscope (National Instruments, USA) combined with the Echolyst software (Schweizerischer Verein für technische Inspektionen (SVTI), Switzerland) for data acquisition.
Measurements were conducted using a grid of 29x29 points with a spacing of 50 mm. At each point 8192 samples were recorded at a sampling rate of 1 MS/s.
The dataset contains the (X,Y) location in mm of the individual measurement points as well as the raw measurement data at those points.
The data is provided in the formats *.mir/*.mhdr (Echolyst), *.npy (Python) and *.mat (Matlab) and *.csv to ease the import in various post-processing tools.
Investigation of temperature effects on ultrasonic velocity in a prestressed concrete bridge model
(2022)
Ultrasonic measurements have recently been applied in the context
of structural health monitoring in civil engineering. The ultrasonic method is very sensitive to environmental conditions and material property changes, which might be caused by prestress losses and loading effects on the bridge. However, it remains a challenge to identify the damage mechanisms causing structural property changes from the above-mentioned factors influencing ultrasonics. The focus of this contribution is to investigate the correlation between ultrasonic velocities and temperature by the coda wave interferometry (CWI) analysis. Long-term monitoring of a prestressed concrete bridge model under field conditions was carried out to observe the effect of temperature. The homogeneous change in concrete caused
by temperature was revealed by applying the CWI method. The threshold value of the best correlation coefficients for the linear regression of temperature and ultrasonic velocity changes was also studied. Experimental assessment will provide a ratio for temperature correction to evaluate the prestressing force decrease and its consequences on crack opening or extension.
Das Bauwesen erfordert sehr hohe Flächenleistungen, so dass der physische Kontakt zur Oberfläche möglichst vermieden werden sollte, um eine hohe Verfahrgeschwindigkeit der Sensoren zu gewährleisten. Andererseits weisen luftgekoppelte, membranbasierte Aktuatoren durch den Impedanzsprung sehr hohe Verluste auf. Daher stellt das schnelle berührungslose Ultraschallmessen immer noch eine ungelöste Herausforderung im Bauwesen dar.
Neue Ultraschall-Messsysteme (LAUS, Bohrlochsonde) haben ihre Funktionstüchtigkeit unter Beweis gestellt. Ergebnisse aus den Messungen konnten verifiziert werden. Standard-Mess- und –Auswerteverfahren müssen für Spritzbeton weiterentwickelt und angepasst werden. Mit sämtlichen Messmethoden konnten großflächige Risse detektiert werden. Messungen mit der Bohrlochsonde und LAUS sind zur Qualitätssicherung geeignet.
Verschlussbauwerke sind für die untertägige Endlagerung im Salzgestein als eine wichtige technische Barriere vorgesehen. Diese Bauwerke müssen hohen Anforderungen an Sicherheit und Integrität genügen, weshalb im Projekt SealWasteSafe Werkstofftechnik, Prüfverfahren und Überwachungsmethoden für sichere Verschlussbauwerke verbessert werden. Dabei zeigen die untersuchten alkaliaktivierten Materialien (AAM) langsamere Reaktionskinetik bei der Erhärtung im Vergleich zu Salzbeton, was potenziell geringere Rissbildung erwarten lässt. Die Erhärtung wird an Probekörpern (100-300 l) multisensorisch über einen Zeitraum von mindestens 28 Tagen überwacht. Die Parameter Temperatur und Feuchtigkeit werden einerseits kabelgebunden, andererseits mittels drahtloser Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-Technik aufgezeichnet. Zusätzlich kommen Schallemissionsmessungen sowie Dehnungsmessungen mittels verteilter faseroptischer Sensorik (FOS) zum Einsatz. Die Überwachung zeigt verschiedene Charakteristika beim Erhärten der Materialien mit geringerer Temperaturentwicklung des AAM. Zusätzlich werden Ultraschallmessungen genutzt, um Einbauteile und Störstellen wie Risse und Delaminationen im Rahmen der Qualitätssicherung am Probekörper und am Verschlussbauwerk zu detektieren. Dafür werden sowohl ein Ultraschallmesssystem mit großer Apertur (LAUS) als auch eine Ultraschall-Bohrlochsonde eingesetzt. Durch Erhöhung des Schalldrucks und Schallfeldbündelung im Beton wird die Aussagekraft der von der Bohrlochsonde aufgezeichneten Messsignale verbessert, was in Modellierungen und ersten Labortests gezeigt werden kann. Die Auswertung der Ultraschallmessungen zeigt das große Potenzial der Methode mit Eindringtiefen bis zu 9 m, wobei anspruchsvolle Abbildungsverfahren zu einer verbesserten Abbildung der internen Strukturen führen. Insgesamt verbessern die im Projekt SealWasteSafe entwickelten Materialien und Methoden die Möglichkeiten für sichere Verschlussbauwerke nuklearer Endlager. Obwohl die Konzepte speziell für Bauwerke im Salzgestein entwickelt werden, sind sie partiell gut auf andere Wirtsgesteine übertragbar.
Im Jahre 2011 wurde in Deutschland nach 50 Jahren der Ausstieg aus der kommerziellen Kernenergie beschlossen. Fünf Jahre später war Deutschland mit 80.000 GWh immer noch unter den zehn größten Atomstromproduzenten. Im darauffolgenden Jahr wurden weltweit 2.500.000 GWh Atomstrom produziert. Durch die Atomstromproduktion fallen große Mengen an radioaktiven Reststoffen an, die bis zu mehrere tausend Jahre für einen vollständigen Abbau benötigen. Aus dieser Problematik geht die Debatte über den Verbleib der Reststoffe hervor. Die Endlagerung in tiefen Gesteinsschichten ist eine Lösung für das Problem. Voraussetzung ist hierbei allerdings die Gewährleistung eines dauerhaften Schutzes vor ionisierender Strahlung, die durch Verschlüsse der tiefen Gesteinsschichten in Form von Verschlussbauwerken erzielt werden sollen. Es gilt die bauliche Integrität sowie die Dichtwirkung der Verschlussbauwerke dauerhaft zu überwachen und zu prüfen, um eine langfristige Verzögerung der Radionuklidfreisetzung zu gewährleisten.
This research is to perform passive and active measurements on a
large-scale prestressed concrete bridge model under the outdoor
condition. Multi sensors were applied to this test structure –
BLEIB, which is located at the BAM test site. The experimental
evaluation of ultrasonic wave propagation and seismic noise
recordings were considered for revealing the bridge damage
condition, as a basic for developing a reliable bridge monitoring
system.
Analyse des gefügeabhängigen Löslichkeitsverhaltens potenziell AKR-empfindlicher Gesteinskörnungen
(2021)
Das gefügeabhängige Löslichkeitsverhalten wurde an folgenden vier Gesteinskörnungen unterschiedlicher Alkaliempfindlichkeitsklassen
untersucht:
• GK1 (EIII-S): quarzreicher Kies
• GK2 (EIII-S): Grauwacke (Splitt)
• GK3 (EI-S): Quarz-Feldspat-Porphyr (Splitt)
• GK4 (EI-S): sandsteinreicher Kies
DiePorenstrukturanalyse erfolgte sowohl an Einzelkörnern mittels vergleichender 3D-CT und BET- Untersuchungen als auch an Korngemengen der einzelnen Kornfraktionen (außer Fraktion 16/22 mm) über die Wasseraufnahme und mit BET. Für die Visualisierung und Quantifizierung der von außen zugänglichen Oberflächenanteile der Einzelkörner wurde ein Softwaretool entwickelt, erprobt und erfolgreich angewandt. Es gelang so u.a. den Nachweis zu erbringen, dass die gebrochenen Einzelkörner der Grauwacke und des Rhyoliths einen deutlich geringeren von außen zugänglichen Oberflächenanteil als die gleichartigen Gesteinskörner aus dem Kies besitzen. Aufgrund der limitierten Ortsauflösung der 3D-CT von 11 bis 16,5 μm wurde mit BET eine um drei Zehnerpotenzen höhere spezifische Oberfläche ermittelt.
Zu den Porositätsuntersuchungen an den Korngemengen sei angemerkt, dass zum Teil gegenläufige Trends zwischen offener Porosität und spezifischer Oberfläche festgestellt wurden. Dieses ist beim Bezug des bei den Löseversuchen in 0,1 M KOH mit definierter NaCl-Zugabe aus der Gesteinskörnung gelösten SiO2 und Al2O3 von zentraler Bedeutung. Bei den Löseversuchen an den fraktionsspezifischen Korngemengen selbst zeigte sich, dass die stufenweise Erhöhung des NaCl-Gehalts von 0 auf 10 M.-% im Eluat eine erhöhte SiO2-Löslichkeit und eine verminderte Auslaugung von Al2O3 zur Folge hat. Auffallend war hierbei, dass die Al2O3-Löslichkeit bei GK4 ohne und mit geringer NaCl-Zugabe die mit Abstand höchsten Werte annimmt. Bei den zusätzlich durchgeführten Löseversuchen an den tomografierten Einzelkörnern in 1 M KOH-Lösung mit Zugabe von 1 M.-% NaCl zeigte sich, dass nur vereinzelt bei den untersuchten Gesteinsarten eine Korrelation zwischen dem SiO2- bzw. Al2O3-Gehalt im Eluat und der absoluten BET-Oberfläche nachweisbar ist. Dies ist vermutlich darauf zurückzuführen, dass neben der Oberfläche weitere Parameter (z.B. die mineralogische Zusammensetzung der Einzelkörner) das Löseverhalten maßgebend beeinflussen. Bei den parallel zu den Löseversuchen durchgeführten Betonversuchen nach dem ARS 04/2013 zeigte sich, dass die Alkaliempfindlichkeit der GK4 bei beiden Betonversuchen mit Alkalizufuhr unterschiedlich zu bewerten ist. So ist unabhängig von der vorgegebenen pessimalen Betonrezeptur des Fahrbahndeckenbetons ausschließlich bei der Klimawechsellagerung die GK4 als alkaliempfindlich einzustufen. Allerdings konnte der Befund der stark ausgeprägten AKR bei der GK4 mit der Dünnschliffmikroskopie nicht bestätigt werden. Analoges gilt für die Bewertung der Alkaliempfindlichkeit von GK2 mit den Betonversuchen nach der Alkalirichtlichtlinie des DAfStb. So ist auch hier die GK2 nicht im 60 °C-Betonversuch sondern ausschließlich im 40 °C-Betonversuch als alkaliempfindlich einzustufen.
Dienach den verschiedenartigen Betonversuchen durchgeführten LIBS-Analysen am Vertikalschnitt der Prüfkörper zeigen, dass im Kernbereich nach dem 60 °C-Betonversuch mit 10 %iger NaCl-Lösung und nach der Klimawechsellagerung mit NaCl-Beaufschlagung annähernd gleich hohe Natrium- und Chloridgehalte vorgefunden werden. Wider Erwarten treten an den beaufschlagten Prüfflächen Abreicherungen von Natrium und Anreicherungen von Chlorid auf. Im 40°C- und 60 °C-Betonversuch wurde das Natrium bis in eine maximale Tiefe von ca. 30 mm bzw. 20 mm ausgelaugt. Die aufbauenden korrelativen Betrachtungen zwischen den Ergebnissen des 60°C Betonversuchs mit Alkalizufuhr und der Löseversuche an den fraktionsspezifischen Korngemengen in 1 M KOH-Lösung mit definierter NaCl-Zugabe sind durchaus vielversprechend. So zeigt sich beispielsweise beim Waschbeton, dass der fraktionsspezifisch gewichtete SiO2-Überschuss im Eluat nach 56 Tagen mit Zugabe von 0,5 M.-% NaCl ohne Bezug auf die BET-Oberfläche zur gleichen Einstufung der vier betrachteten Gesteinskörnungen wie bei den Dehnungen im 60 °C-Betonversuch mit 3 %-iger NaCl-Lösung führt. Außerdem korrelieren die im 60 °C-Betonversuch mit 10 %-iger NaCl-Lösung ermittelten Dehnungen mit dem gewichteten SiO2-Überschuss im Eluat bei Zugabe von 2 M.-% NaCl ohne Bezug auf die BET-Oberfläche.
Ausschließlich bei den Betonversuchen nach der Alkali-Richtlinie erwies sich der Bezug des im Eluat ermittelten SiO2-Überschusses auf die BET-Oberfläche als zielführend. Aufgrund des Potenzials der Löseversuche mit NaCl-Zugabe für die Bewertung der Alkaliempfindlichkeit der Gesteinskörnung im Fahrbahndeckenbeton wird empfohlen, die vergleichenden Untersuchungen zwischen den Löseversuchen an Korngemischen der einzelnen Fraktionen und den Betonversuchen nach dem ARS 04/2013 mit einer möglichst hohen Anzahl an Gesteinskörnungen und einem präzisierten Untersuchungsumfang fortzuführen.
The dataset presented contains ultrasonic data recorded in pulse echo mode. The investigated specimen is made of the isotropic homogeneous material polyamide and has a drill hole of constant diameter running parallel to the surface, which was scanned in a point grid using an automatic scanner system. At each measuring position, a pitch-catch measurement was performed using a sampling rate of 2 MHz. The probes used are arrays consisting of a spatially separated receiving and in-phase transmitting unit. The transmitting and receiving sides each consist of 12 point-shaped single probes. These dry-point contact (DPC) probes operate according to the piezoelectric principle at nominal frequencies of 55 kHz (shear waves) and 100 kHz (longitudinal waves), respectively, and do not require a coupling medium. The measurements are performed with longitudinal (100 kHz) and transverse (55 kHz) waves with different geometric orientations of the probe on the measurement surface. The data presented in the article provide a valid source for evaluating reconstruction algorithms for imaging in the low-frequency ultrasound range.
Monitoring of repositories for radioactive waste requires techniques which can be applied long-term under harsh conditions. In this work, the reliability and suitability of materials and a capacitive sensor for measuring relative humidity are investigated, which are to be embedded in the special concrete components for the closure structures of underground repository. Preliminary tests with accelerated aging of the materials used, validation of the sensors under difficult conditions, investigations of the surfaces after aging by pH 14 solution, defined exposure of the sensors in a climatic chamber and the microscope images are discussed. The results will be used for further development and optimization of the RFID based sensor systems which can be applied to monitor the condition of different building structures without cabling.
This paper describes a new ultrasonic measuring device called “W-Box”. It was developed based on the requirements of the DFG Forschergruppe (research unit) CoDA for a portable device for monitoring of concrete specimens, models and actual structures using embedded ultrasonic transducers as well as temperature and humidity sensors. The W-Box can send ultrasonic pulses with a variable frequency of 50–100 kHz to one selectable transducer and records signals from up to 75 multiplexed channels with a sample rate of 1 MHz and a resolution of 14 bits. In addition, it measures temperature and humidity with high accuracy, adjustable amplification, restarts automatically after a power failure and can be fully controlled remotely. The measured data are automatically stored locally on-site data quality checks and transferred to remote servers. The comparison of the W-Box with a laboratory setup using commercial devices proves that it is equally reliable and precise, at much lower cost. The W-Box also shows that their measurement capacities, with the used embedded ultrasonic transducers, can reach above 6 m in concrete.
Zerstörungsfreie Prüfmethoden für Verschlussbauwerke nuklearer Endlager im Projekt SealWasteSafe
(2022)
Für die sichere Einlagerung von radioaktiven oder toxischen Abfällen kommen im Salzgestein technische Barrieren in Form von untertägigen Verschlussbauwerken zum Einsatz. Aufgrund der hohen Anforderungen an Sicherheit und Integrität dieser Verschlussbauwerke werden umfangreiche zerstörungsfreie Prüfmethoden zur Überwachung und Qualitätssicherung verwendet. Im BAM-Projekt SealWasteSafe werden Werkstofftechnik, Prüfverfahren und Überwachungsmethoden für sichere Verschlussbauwerke in Endlagern verbessert. Dabei wird der bisherige Salzbeton mit dem innovativen alkaliaktivierten Material (AAM) mit langsamerer Reaktionskinetik bei der Erhärtung und somit potenziell geringerer Rissbildung verglichen. Im Labormaßstab werden Probekörper mit Volumina von 100-300 l multisensorisch ausgestattet und somit die Zuverlässigkeit und Widerstandsfähigkeit der Sensoren gegenüber der hochalkalischen Umgebung nachgewiesen. Durch das Monitoring wird der Abbindevorgang des Betons überwacht und die Materialien über einen Zeitraum von mehreren Wochen charakterisiert. Dabei werden die Parameter Temperatur und Feuchtigkeit einerseits verkabelt als auch mittels drahtloser Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-Technik aufgezeichnet. Zusätzlich kommen Schallemissionsmessungen sowie Dehnungsmessung mittels verteilter faseroptischer Sensorik (FOS) zum Einsatz. Das multisensorische Überwachungssystem wird durch aktive Ultraschallmessungen ergänzt, die durch die Detektion von Rissen, Delaminationen oder anderen Störstellen eine Qualitätssicherung der Verschlussbauwerke ermöglichen. Dafür werden sowohl ein Ultraschallsystem mit großer Apertur (LAUS) als auch eine Ultraschall-Bohrlochsonde eingesetzt. Durch Erhöhung des Schalldrucks und Bündelung der Schallsignale im Beton wird die Aussagekraft der von der Bohrlochsonde aufgezeichneten Messsignale verbessert, was in Modellierungen und ersten Labortests gezeigt werden kann. Die Auswertung der Ultraschallmessungen erfolgt mit auf Diffraktionssummation beruhenden Migrationsverfahren wie Kirchhoff-Tiefenmigration und Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique (SAFT), die Abbildungen vom Inneren der Probekörper erzeugen. Insgesamt verbessert das Projekt SealWasteSafe mithilfe innovativer Multisensorik und Ultraschallmethodik die Überwachungs- und Qualitätssicherungskonzepte für sichere Verschlussbauwerke nuklearer Endlager.
Das vorliegende Arbeitspapier stellt den Stand des Wissens und der Forschung zum Einsatz von Sensorik in Straßenbefestigungen zur Erfassung von Eingangsgrößen und Merkmalen für die Substanzbewertung zusammenfassend dar. Unter Sensorik versteht dieses Arbeitspapier ganz allgemein technische Einrichtungen, mit denen man die Werte von physikalischen Größen erfassen und zur Interpretation darstellen kann.
A novel ultrasonic borehole probe is developed for the quality assurance of sealing structures in radioactive waste repositories using existing research boreholes. The aim is to analyse the sealing structures made of salt concrete concerning potential cracks, delamination, and embedded objects. A first prototype of the probe uses 12 individual dry point contact (DPC) shear horizontal wave transducers separated by equidistant transmitter/receiver arrays, each consisting of six individual transducers. It is operated with a commercial handheld ultrasonic testing device used in civil engineering. In order to increase the generated sound pressure of the borehole probe, the number of transducers will be increased to 32 for the novel probe. In addition, a time-controlled excitation of the individual probes is used to steer a focused sound beam to a certain angle and focus on a certain distance based on calculated time delays. Hence, the sensitive test volume is more limited, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the received signals improved. This paper presents the validation of the newly developed phased array borehole probe by beam simulation and experimentally on a half-cylindrical test specimen to investigate the directional characteristics. In combination with geophysical reconstruction method, an optimised radiation characteristic of the probe, an improved signal quality and thus an increased reliability of the results in imaging is expected. This is of great importance to construct safe sealing structures needed for radioactive or toxic waste disposal.
A novel ultrasonic borehole probe is developed for the quality assurance of sealing structures in radioactive waste repositories using existing research boreholes. The goal is to examine the sealing structures made of salt concrete for possible cracks, delamination, and embedded objects. A prototype probe uses 12 individual horizontal dry point contact (DPC) shear wave transducers separated by equidistant transmitter/receiver arrays of six individual transducers each. It is operated with a commercially available portable ultrasonic flaw detector used in the civil engineering industry. To increase the generated acoustic pressure of the borehole probe, the number of transducers in the novel probe is increased to 32. In addition, a timed excitation of each probe directs a focused beam of sound to a specific angle and distance based on calculated time delays. This limits the sensitive test volume and improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the received signals. This paper presents the validation of the newly developed phased array borehole probe by investigating the directivity through beam computation in the CIVA software and experimental investigations on a semi-cylindrical test specimen. It is expected that an optimised radiation pattern of the probe in combination with geophysical reconstruction methods will improve the signal quality and thus increase the reliability of the imaging results. This is of great importance for the construction of safe sealing structures needed for the disposal of radioactive or toxic waste.
Development of an Accurate and Robust Air-Coupled Ultrasonic Time-of-Flight Measurement Technique
(2022)
Ultrasonic time-of-flight (ToF) measurements enable the non-destructive characterization of material parameters as well as the reconstruction of scatterers inside a specimen. The time-consuming and potentially damaging procedure of applying a liquid couplant between specimen and transducer can be avoided by using air-coupled ultrasound. However, to obtain accurate ToF results, the waveform and travel time of the acoustic signal through the air, which are influenced by the ambient conditions, need to be considered. The placement of microphones as signal receivers is restricted to locations where they do not affect the sound field. This study presents a novel method for in-air ranging and ToF determination that is non-invasive and robust to changing ambient conditions or waveform variations. The in-air travel time was determined by utilizing the azimuthal directivity of a laser Doppler vibrometer operated in refracto-vibrometry (RV) mode. The time of entry of the acoustic signal was determined using the autocorrelation of the RV signal. The same signal was further used as a reference for determining the ToF through the specimen in transmission mode via cross-correlation. The derived signal processing procedure was verified in experiments on a polyamide specimen. Here, a ranging accuracy of <0.1 mm and a transmission ToF accuracy of 0.3μs were achieved. Thus, the proposed method enables fast and accurate non-invasive ToF measurements that do not require knowledge about transducer characteristics or ambient conditions.
Mit dem zerstörungsfreien Verfahren der nuklear magnetischen Resonanz (NMR) mit Fokus auf 1H-Protonen lässt sich der Feuchtegehalt in porösen Materialien bestimmen und bei einem vollgesättigten Medium eine Porengrößenverteilung ableiten. Für die Ermittlung der Porengrößenverteilung muss die gemessene T2-Relaxationszeitenverteilung mit dem Parameter Oberflächenrelaxivität (OR) umgerechnet werden. Ist dieser Parameter für das zu untersuchende Medium unbekannt, kann dieser mithilfe von Vergleichsverfahren abgeschätzt werden. Dabei kommen z. B. Gassorption, Quecksilberporosimetrie (MIP), Dünnschliff-Mikroskopie oder µ-Computer-Tomographie (µ-CT) zum Einsatz. Da die verschiedenen Verfahren allerdings unterschiedliche Auflösungsgrenzen aufweisen und auf verschiedenen physikalischen Prinzipien beruhen, können die ermittelten ORs für ein Medium stark variieren. Um ein besseres Verständnis für die OR und die Einflüsse der Vergleichsverfahren zu bekommen, wurden 19 verschiedene Sandsteintypen untersucht. Die OR wurde zum einen basierend auf der spezifischen inneren Oberfläche aus der dynamischen Dampfsorption (DVS) und der Gassorption abgeleitet. Zum anderen wurden die Relaxationszeitenverteilungen durch manuelles Anpassen der OR derart in Porengrößenverteilungen umgerechnet, sodass es eine Übereinstimmung mit den Porengrößenverteilungen aus MIP und/oder µ-CT gibt. Die Umrechnung von Relaxationszeitverteilungen in eine Porengrößenverteilung berücksichtigt dabei sowohl fast- als auch slow-diffusion. Insgesamt ergab sich für die Sandsteine ein breites Spektrum an ORs, bei dem die über die innere spezifische Oberfläche ermittelten ORs andere Größenordnungen aufwiesen (< 10 µm/s), als bei dem Vergleich mit MIP oder µ-CT (bis 600 µm/s). Die mit MIP und µ-CT ermittelten Werten lagen dabei um einen Faktor von 1 bis 30 auseinander. Dieser umfangreiche Datensatz, der vier verschiedene Vergleichsverfahren einbezieht, soll neue Erkenntnisse in der Charakterisierung von porösen Materialien (z. B. bezüglich der Oberflächenrauigkeit) und in der Ursache für die starke Variation der OR ermöglichen. Durch das Berücksichtigen von fast- als auch slow-diffusion, können dabei sogar Daten in eine Porengrößenverteilung umgerechnet werden, bei denen das fast-diffusion-Kriterium nach Brownstein und Tarr nicht erfüllt ist. Außerdem ergibt sich aus der Berücksichtigung des slow-diffusion-Regimes ein neues Verständnis für die obere Auflösungsgrenze von NMR.
Reliable assessment of earthen dams’ stability and tailing storage facilities widely used in the mining industry is challenging, particularly under seismic load conditions. In this paper, we propose to take into account the effect of the dominant frequency of seismic load on the stability assessment of tailing/earthen dams. The calculations are performed by finite element modelling (FEM) with the Mohr–Coulomb failure criteria. To separate the frequency content from other dynamic parameters describing the seismic wave, synthetic waveforms with identical amplitude and attenuation characteristics, but differing spectral characteristics have been used. The analysis has been performed for three different slope angles and two scenarios of seismic wave propagation. Consequently, the changes of total displacement and shear stresses depending on the frequencies have been determined and clearly show that lower frequencies cause higher stress levels and displacement. Finally, the response surface methodology has been applied to determine how different parameters affect the slope stability under dynamic load conditions. Overall, this study is a first step to improve the existing methods to assess slope stability when considering seismic load.
Damage detection of reinforced concrete (RC) structures is becoming a more attractive domain due to the safety issues arising in the last few decades. The damage in concrete can be caused by excessive exploitation of the structure or environmental effects. The cracks in concrete can be detected by different nondestructive testing methods. However, the available methods used for this purpose have numerous limitations. The technologies available in the market nowadays have difficulties detecting slowly progressive, locally limited damage. In addition, some of These methods cannot be applied, especially in hard-to-reach areas in the superstructures. In order to avoid these deficiencies, an embedded ultrasonic methodology can be used to detect cracks in RC structures. In this study, the methodology of crack detection supported with the advanced Signal processing algorithm was proposed and verified on RC structures of various types, and cracks occurring between embedded sensors can be detected. Moreover, different pairs of ultrasonic sensors located in the considered structures are used for the analysis of the sensitivity of distance between them. It is shown that the ultrasonic sensors placed in the range of 1.5–2 m can detect cracks, even when the other methods failed to detect changes in the structure. The obtained results confirmed that diffuse ultrasonic sensor methodology is able to monitor real structures more effectively than traditional techniques.
Integration of fiber reinforcement in high-performance cementitious materials has become widely applied in many fields of construction. One of the most investigated advantages of steel Fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) is the deceleration of crack growth and hence its improved sustainability.
Additional benefits are associated with its structural properties, as fibers can significantly increase the ductility and the tensile strength of concrete. In some applications it is even possible to entirely replace the conventional reinforcement, leading to significant logistical and environmental benefits.
Fiber reinforcement can, however, have critical disadvantages and even hinder the Performance of concrete, since it can induce an anisotropic material behavior of the mixture if the fibers are not appropriately oriented. For a safe use of SFRC in the future, reliable non-destructive testing (NDT) methods need to be identified to assess the fibers’ orientation in hardened concrete. In this study,
ultrasonic material testing, electrical impedance testing, and X-ray computed tomography have been investigated for this purpose using specially produced samples with biased or random Fiber orientations. We demonstrate the capabilities of each of these NDT techniques for fiber orientation measurements and draw conclusions based on these results about the most promising areas for future research and development.
Für die Qualitätssicherung von neuen Fundamenten steht eine Reihe von zerstörungsfreien Prüfverfahren zur Verfügung. Das Portfolio reicht von der einfachen Hammerschlagmethode („Pfahlintegritätsprüfung“) bis zu aufwändigen Ultraschallverfahren für meterstarke Fundamentplatten. Aber funktionieren die Verfahren auch im Bestand? Lassen sich die für Wieder-, Um- und Weiternutzung notwendigen Daten erfassen? Und wie werden die zerstörungsfreien Prüfverfahren erfolgreich in Untersuchungskonzepte integriert? Dies wird vor allem am Beispiel der Fundamente von Freileitungsmasten diskutiert.
The integral collection of information such as strains, cracks, or temperatures by ultrasound offers the best prerequisites to monitor structures during their lifetime. In this paper, a novel approach is proposed which uses the collected information in the coda of ultrasonic signals to infer the condition of a structure. This approach is derived from component tests on a reinforced concrete beam subjected to four-point bending in the lab at Ruhr University Bochum. In addition to ultrasonic measurements, strain of the reinforcement is measured with fiber optic sensors. Approached by the methods of moment-curvature relations, the steel strains serve as a reference for velocity changes of the coda waves. In particular, a correlation between the relative velocity change and the average steel strain in the reinforcement is derived that covers 90% of the total bearing capacity. The purely empirical model yields a linear function with a high level of accuracy (R 2 =0.99, R2=0.99, RMSE≈90μ
RMSE≈90μ strain).
Ultrasonic testing is a widely applied measurement method in materials research and medicine. Commonly, a transducer is coupled to the specimen directly or via a liquid coupling agent. While reducing acoustic transmission losses significantly, this procedure is time-consuming and cannot be used for sensitive specimens. Air-coupled ultrasound is a viable alternative in such cases, although suffering from very high acoustic transmission losses between transducer, air and specimen. The recently introduced fluidic transducer (FT) generates ultrasound by utilizing the instability of a supersonic air jet switched inside a fluidic amplifier. Since only air is used as the working medium and no vibrating surfaces are used for ultrasound generation, the transducer is able to efficiently generate large acoustic pressure amplitudes. The resulting acoustic field shares its directivity with the ejected high-velocity air jet. Thus, the acoustic energy needs to be redirected from the jet axis in order to make the fluidic transducer applicable to sensitive specimens. In this study, the effectivity of using sonic crystals (SCs) for this redirection is investigated using acoustic and flow measurements. SCs are air-permeable while being reflective to large acoustic frequency bands. It was shown that both a defect waveguide and a mirroring strategy successfully redirected the acoustic field from the air jet. Furthermore, the interaction of flow and SC showed strong acoustic quenching if the SC was placed too close to the FT outlet. Blockage of the jet entrainment due to the SC may result in slightly higher off-axis flow velocities locally, which should be considered in sensitive applications.
Ultrasonic monitoring, making use of the sensitivity of the coda of repeated transmission meas-urements to changes in stress, temperature, moisture, as well as localized or distributed damage, has gotten at-tention in structural health monitoring (SHM) research recently. Analysis methods such as coda wave inter-ferometry (CWI), including its nonlinear extension, have been shown to be able to measure ultrasonic wave velocity changes with a 1∙10-5 resolution, while indicators such as cross-correlation or cross-coherence have been used to distinguish between reversible and irreversible changes. Several small- and large-scale laboratory experiments have demonstrated that stress changes in structures can be captured or damage detected in a very early stage. The use of this technique for pre-warning before failure are currently under investigation, as well as detailed research on the physical causes and the connection between ultrasonic wave properties and materi-al/structural behavior. Recently, several of large-scale laboratory and real structures have been instrumented with embedded ultrasonic transducers to gather experience and evidence on how to use this technology in re-al-world applications. Preliminary results from installations on a new bridge, an existing bridge, a tunnel, a la-boratory earthquake test as well as a historic stadium in Germany, Poland, and the United States, respectively, are presented. Environmental influences (mainly temperature) and validation by load tests are discussed.
Ultrasonic monitoring, making use of the sensitivity of the coda of repeated transmission meas-urements to changes in stress, temperature, moisture, as well as localized or distributed damage, has gotten at-tention in structural health monitoring (SHM) research recently. Analysis methods such as coda wave inter-ferometry (CWI), including its nonlinear extension, have been shown to be able to measure ultrasonic wave velocity changes with a 1∙10-5 resolution, while indicators such as cross-correlation or cross-coherence have been used to distinguish between reversible and irreversible changes. Several small- and large-scale laboratory experiments have demonstrated that stress changes in structures can be captured or damage detected in a very early stage. The use of this technique for pre-warning before failure are currently under investigation, as well as detailed research on the physical causes and the connection between ultrasonic wave properties and materi-al/structural behavior. Recently, several of large-scale laboratory and real structures have been instrumented with embedded ultrasonic transducers to gather experience and evidence on how to use this technology in re-al-world applications. Preliminary results from installations on a new bridge, an existing bridge, a tunnel, a la-boratory earthquake test as well as a historic stadium in Germany, Poland, and the United States, respectively, are presented. Environmental influences (mainly temperature) and validation by load tests are discussed.
Zu jedem Endlager gehört die Entwicklung eines Verschlusskonzept. Im Endlager Morsleben und an anderer Stelle werden in Abhängigkeit vom Wirtsgestein verschiedene Materialien und Bauweisen für Streckenverschlüsse entwickelt und in großem Maßstab erprobt. Hierzu gehören auch Maßnahmen der Qualitätssicherung, die Informationen über Ausführung und Zustand der Versuchsbauwerke liefern. Hierzu werden von der Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) für verschiedene Forschungsvorhaben und Prüfaufträge Methoden und Geräte getestet, verbessert und vor Ort unter Tage eingesetzt Die hier beschriebenen Verfahren lassen sich auch zu Untersuchungen im Wirtsgestein anwenden.
Zu jedem Endlager gehört die Entwicklung eines Verschlusskonzept. Im Endlager Morsleben und an anderer Stelle werden in Abhängigkeit vom Wirtsgestein verschiedene Materialien und Bauweisen für Streckenverschlüsse entwickelt und in großem Maßstab erprobt. Hierzu gehören auch Maßnahmen der Qualitätssicherung, die Informationen über Ausführung und Zustand der Versuchsbauwerke liefern. Hierzu werden von der Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) für verschiedene Forschungsvorhaben und Prüfaufträge Methoden und Geräte getestet, verbessert und vor Ort unter Tage eingesetzt. Die hier beschriebenen Verfahren lassen sich auch zu Untersuchungen im Wirtsgestein anwenden.
NDE 4.0 in Civil Engineering
(2021)
Civil engineering industry is one of the most important industry sectors in the worldwide economy. It contributes significantly to the gross economic product and general employment. Even more important, it provides many of the basic needs of the society (e.g., housing, infrastructure, and protection from natural hazards). The concept of “Industry 4.0” or “Smart Production” has not yet made significant progress in the civil engineering industry. The designing, building, and operating processes are still widely dominated by the exchange of printed documents and drawings. Most objects (buildings and other constructions) are unique, and a large part of the production still requires a large amount of manual labor. As-built documentation and quality assurance are often neglected. Civil engineering is among the industry sectors with the lowest level of digitalization and the lowest gain in productivity. However, this is going to change. In the past decade, several drivers have challenged the ways clients, contractors, and authorities currently operate. These drivers include but are not limited to an increasing demand for serialization and automatization or the mandatory introduction of “Building Information Modeling” (BIM) in public procurement as well as the upcoming use of digital twins. NDE plays an increasing role in quality assurance, condition assessment, and monitoring of structures. However, with very few exceptions, applications are mostly nonstandardized and performed only at selected sites. To change this, the NDT-CE community including manufacturers, service providers, clients, and the scientific community must work consistently on open data formats, interfaces to BIM, standardization, and validated ways for a quantitative use of the results in the assessment of constructions.
Acoustic emission and ultrasonic monitoring of a prestressed concrete bridge in its final years
(2021)
Many European bridges built in the 1950s, 60s and 70s must be re-placed in the next decade due to structural deficiencies, insufficient load capacity or other issues. However, the existing bridges must be used for another couple of years even if flaws and damages already have been detected.
In Germany, several prestressed concrete bridges have been instrumented with acoustic emission detection systems to detect wire breaks and to provide early warning signs before failure. To evaluate and interpret the consequences of wire breaks additional instrumentation and accompanying measures as finite element modeling are required.
At a bridge in southern Germany we have complemented such a system with active ultrasonic monitoring. Repeated ultrasonic measurements are evaluated with a very sensible algorithm called coda wave interferometry. This method, inspired by seismology, has been shown to deliver early warning signs in lab experiments. Large volumes of concrete can be monitored with a limited network of ultrasonic transducers. We will report on the installation, capabilities, and lim-itations as well as first results.
Non-destructive testing methods are available in civil engineering for decades to estimate concrete properties or to detect flaws and features. But recently we have seen the dawn of next-generation tools, methods, and applications. Some of them will be discussed in the web talk: – Better tools: deeper and more detailed insight into concrete constructions – Better methods: Quantitative use in probabilistic structural assessment – Better rules: Towards standardization, qualification, and certification – Better application: Digitalization and Elimination of the boundaries between NDT, SHM, and BIM: NDT-CE 4.0 Not enough? I might show, how cosmic rays might become a game-changer in NDT-CE. This live webinar record was provided by https://eurostruct.org
The EURATOM PREDIS project (http://www.predis-h2020.eu, last access:TS1) targets the development and implementation of activities for predisposal treatment of radioactive waste streams other than nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. It started on 1 September 2020 with a 4 year duration. The consortium includes 47 partners from 17 member states. The overall budget of the project is EUR23.7 million, with EC contribution of EUR 14 million. The PREDIS project develops and increases the technological readiness level (TRL) of treatment and conditioning methodologies for wastes for which no adequate or industrially mature Solutions are currently available, including metallic materials, liquid organic waste and solid organic waste. The PREDIS project also develops innovations in cemented waste handling and predisposal storage by testing and evaluating.
The technical work packages align with priorities formulated within the Roadmap Theme 2 of EURAD (https://www.ejp-eurad.eu/TS2), Nugenia Global Vision (https://snetp.eu/nugenia/TS3) and with those identified by the project’s industrial end users group (EUG). The PREDIS will produce tools guiding decision making on the added value of the developed technologies and their impact on the design, safety and economics of waste management and disposal.
Four technical work packages are focusing on specific waste types: metallic, liquid organic, solid organic, and cemented wastes. For the first three, the main aim lies in processing, stabilizing, and packaging the different waste streams, e.g. by using novel geopolymers, to deliver items which are in line with national and international waste acceptance criteria. In contrast, the fourth technical work package has a different focus.
To provide better ways for a safe and effective monitoring of cemented waste packages including prediction tools to assess the future integrity development during predisposal activities, several digital tools are evaluated and improved. Safety enhancement (e.g. less exposure of testing personnel) and cost-effectiveness are part of the intended impact. The work includes but is not limited to inspection methods, such as muon imaging, wireless sensors integrated into waste packages as well as external package and facility monitoring, such as remote Fiber optic sensors. The sensors applied will go beyond radiation monitoring and include proxy parameters important for long-term integrity assessment (e.g. internal pressure). Sensors will also be made cost-effective to allow the
installation of many more sensors compared to current practice. The measured data will be used in digital Twins of the waste packages for specific simulations (geochemical, integrity) providing a prediction of future behavior.
Machine learning techniques trained by the characterization of older waste packages will help to connect the models to the current data. All data (measured and simulated) will be collected in a joint database and connected to a decision framework to be used at actual facilities.
The presentation includes detailed information about the various tools under consideration in the Monitoring of cemented waste packages, their connection and first results of the research.
To provide better means for a safe and effective monitoring of cemented waste packages including prediction tools to assess the future integrity development during pre-disposal activities, several digital tools are evaluated and improved in the frame of the EC funded project PREDIS. Safety enhancement (e. g. less exposure of testing personnel) and cost effectiveness are part of the intended impact. The work includes but is not limited to inspection methods such as muon imaging, wireless sensors integrated into waste packages as well as external package and facility monitoring such as remote fiber optical sensors. The sensors applied will go beyond radiation monitoring and include proxy parameters important for long term integrity assessment (e. g. internal pressure). Sensors will also be made cost effective to allow the installation of much more sensors compared to current practice. The measured data will be used in digital twins of the packages for specific simulations (geochemical, integrity) providing a prediction of future behavior. Machine Learning techniques trained by the characterization of older packages will help to connect the models to the actual data. All data (measured and simulated) will be collected in a joint data base and connected to a decision framework to be used at actual facilities. The paper includes detailed information about the various tools under consideration, their connection and first results of our research.
"The reassessment of bridges continues to take great importance both nationally and internationally. A major challenge is to find computation models reflecting the actual properties of the considered structures sufficiently accurate. Besides regular inspections, the conduction of advanced measurements is suitable to generate reliable information about a structure to be assessed. Prior to incorporating measurement results in reassessment, the relevance, the trueness, and the precision of the measured information needs to be stated. On the one hand, the use of information whose quality has not been assessed can lead to errors with serious consequences. On the other, the measurement of irrelevant information is inefficient. Although the use of measured data in assessment is currently mostly unregulated, their appreciation in reliability analyses is beneficial since the built environment can be assessed more realistically. Utilizing NDT in reassessment has the potential to extend remaining lifetimes of a structure, save resources, and improve infrastructural availabilities. The power of judgment regarding the decision on the reliability of an existing structure can be increased.
In this contribution, an approach is outlined to process non-destructively gathered measurement data in a comparableway in order to include themeasured information in probabilistic reliability assessments of existing structures. An essential part is the calculation of measurement uncertainties. The effect of incorporating evaluated NDT-results is demonstrated by means of a prestressed concrete bridge and GPR measurements conducted on this bridge as a case-study. The bridge is assessed regarding SLS Decompression using the NDT-results."
Digitaler Zwilling: Verwaltungsschale BBox als Datenablage über den Lebenszyklus einer Brücke
(2021)
Auf dem Weg zur digitalen Brücke existieren bereits erste Lösungen, die den Lebenszyklus einer Brücke abbilden können. Für die Planung, den Bau und den Unterhalt stehen unterschiedlichste Werkzeuge, z. B. BIM, DIN 1076, SIB-Bauwerke, Monitoring etc. zur Verfügung, die jeweils mit unterschiedlichen Datenformaten arbeiten. Für ein intelligentes Erhaltungsmanagement müssen aber alle Daten mit den verschiedenen Datenformaten zusammengeführt, abgelegt und so verwaltet werden können, dass über den gesamten Lebenszyklus einer Brücke die Abbildung eines ganzheitlichen digitalen Zwillings eines Bauwerks möglich ist. Die Autoren haben dafür mit BBox den Prototyp einer Verwaltungsschale (VWS) auf Grundlage von Industrie 4.0 entwickelt. Damit wird das physikalisch-ingenieurtechnische Modell zur Zustandsbewertung der Brücke in den Mittelpunkt gestellt und der gesamte Lebenszyklus einer Brücke kann unabhängig von Datenformaten digital erfasst werden. Da der Aufbau der VWS durch die Granularität optimal strukturiert ist, bietet die Ablage und Einspeisung von Messdaten sowohl die Grundlage eines Live-Monitorings als auch den Grundstein für maschinelles Lernen (ML). Der Datenzugriff via S3-Schnittstelle erleichtert die Entwicklung von eigenen Prognosemodellen mit Informationsmustern (SHIP – Structural Health Information Pattern). Am Beispiel der Heinrichsbrücke Bamberg wird die praktische intelligente Umsetzung des Bauwerksmonitorings inkl. VWS mit Informationsmustern und ML gezeigt.
Ultrasound measurements in concrete are a well-known technique in civil engineering and non-destructive testing.
For consistent monitoring of a concrete structure, the common techniques, using external sensors can often not provide the appropriate degree of repeatability, as the surface of structures changes, and comparable coupling conditions cannot be guaranteed when a measurement is repeated after some time. By embedding ultrasound transducers in concrete, we aim to develop a strategy for long-term monitoring of infrastructure, especially bridges, as a supplement and extension to other techniques. Applying the so-called coda wave interferometry to these measurements we can detect subtle changes in the medium far beyond the Resolution limit of traditional time of flight methods. A smart sensor layout enables cost-efficient sensing of the entire area of interest.
Embedding the transducers might remove uncertainties like coupling or positioning changes, while other challenges remain.
Temperature and moisture content influence the structure and the transducers. These drifts need to be recorded and removed and good coupling must be ensured while not being able to visually inspect the sensor. In a multidisciplinary research group funded by the German Research Foundation, we aim to solve these problems on the way towards an ultrasound monitoring system for reinforced concrete structures. In various experiments in the lab and field, we determine the influence of temperature variations on the measurements and the equipment. As the monitoring task is the detection of irreversible damages - not reversible changes - a smart system requires a smart way of discrimination between permanent damages and reversible changes. With the data collected in these experiments, we present an approach to an environmental correction to ultrasound data to avoid a
misinterpretation of these environmental changes as damage indicators.
Corrosion of concrete reinforcement is one of the major damage mechanisms affecting both the load-bearing capacity and the serviceability of re-inforced concrete structures significantly. When externally discernible damages are observed during visual inspections on the structure, the extent of the damage inside the concrete is often already significant. Corrosion caused by carbonation often leads to severe discoloration of the surface or even large-area spalling of the concrete cover. In contrast, chloride-induced corrosion is usually difficult to observe visually but can cause much more serious damage in less time. The effect occurs locally and can lead to weakening of the cross-section of the reinforce-ment. This, in turn, can cause sudden structural collapses without prior notice.
In the meanwhile, various non-destructive and minimally invasive testing methods are available to evaluate the resistance to penetration of corrosion-pro-moting pollutants and to detect active corrosion. In this paper, a bridge crossing the river Regen is used as a case-study to demonstrate how the information ob-tained applying different testing methods can be combined and evaluated in the context of structural reassessments. Both the results of the permeability testing and the electrical resistance measurement are considered, as well as active corro-sion areas are localized using the half-cell potential mapping combined with the concrete cover measurement with the eddy current method and ground penetrat-ing radar. The results are evaluated using drill cores and in addition laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy was applied to obtain information about possible chlo-ride ion transport into the concrete.
Within the project SealWasteSafe, we advance construction materials and monitoring concepts of sealing structures applied for underground disposal of nuclear or toxic waste. As these engineered barriers have high demands concerning integrity, an innovative alkali-activated material (AAM) is improved and tested on various laboratory scales. This AAM has low reaction kinetics related to a preferential slow release of the heat of reaction in comparison to alternative salt concretes based on Portland cement or magnesium oxychloride cements. Hence, crack formation due to thermally induced strain is reduced. After successful laboratory scale analysis (Sturm et al., 2021), the AAM is characterised on a larger scale by manufacturing test specimens (100–300 L).
Conventional salt concrete (DBE, 2004) and the newly developed AAM are compared using two specimen geometries, i.e. cylindrical and cuboid. A comprehensive multisensor monitoring scheme is developed to compare the setting process of AAM and salt concrete for these manufactured specimens. The analysed parameters include temperature and humidity of the material, acoustic emissions, and strain variations. Passive sensor systems based on radiofrequency identification technology (RFID) embedded in the concrete, enable wireless access to temperature and humidity measurements and are compared to conventional cabled systems. Additionally, fibre-optic sensors (FOS) are embedded to record strain, but also have potential to record temperature and moisture conditions. Part of this project aims at demonstrating the high reliability of sensors and also their resistance to highly alkaline environments and to water intrusion along cables or at sensor locations. Further technical improvements were implemented so that first results clearly show the scalability of the setting process from previous small-scale AAM experiments and particularly the high potential of the newly developed approaches.
Furthermore, ultrasonic methods are used for quality assurance to detect obstacles, potential cracks and delamination. On the one hand, both active and passive ultrasonic measurements complement the results obtained from the multisensor monitoring scheme for the produced specimens. On the other hand, the unique large aperture ultrasonic system (LAUS) provides great depth penetration (up to nearly 10 m) and can thus be applied at in situ sealing structures built as a test site in Morsleben by the Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung, BGE) as shown by Effner et al. (2021). An optimised field lay-out identified from forward modelling studies and advanced imaging techniques applied to the measured data will further improve the obtained results. To characterise the inside of the test engineered barrier and achieve a proof-of-concept, an ultrasonic borehole probe is developed to enable phased arrays that can further improve the detection of potential cracks. Modelling results and first analysis of semispherical specimens confirmed the reliability of the directional response caused by the phased arrays of the newly constructed ultrasonic borehole probe.
Overall, the project SealWasteSafe improves the construction material, multisensor monitoring concepts and ultrasonics for quality assurance. This will help to develop safe sealing structures for nuclear waste disposal. The outcomes are particularly valuable for salt as a host rock but partly also transferrable to alternative conditions.
Within the project SealWasteSafe, we advance construction materials and monitoring concepts of sealing structures applied for underground disposal of nuclear or toxic waste. As these engineered barriers have high demands concerning integrity, an innovative alkali-activated material (AAM) is improved and tested on various laboratory scales. This AAM has low reaction kinetics related to a preferential slow release of the heat of reaction in comparison to alternative salt concretes based on Portland cement or magnesium oxychloride cements. Hence, crack formation due to thermally induced strain is reduced. After successful laboratory scale analysis (Sturm et al., 2021), the AAM is characterised on a larger scale by manufacturing test specimens (100–300 L).
Conventional salt concrete (DBE, 2004) and the newly developed AAM are compared using two specimen geometries, i.e. cylindrical and cuboid. A comprehensive multisensor monitoring scheme is developed to compare the setting process of AAM and salt concrete for these manufactured specimens. The analysed parameters include temperature and humidity of the material, acoustic emissions, and strain variations. Passive sensor systems based on radiofrequency identification technology (RFID) embedded in the concrete, enable wireless access to temperature and humidity measurements and are compared to conventional cabled systems. Additionally, fibre-optic sensors (FOS) are embedded to record strain, but also have potential to record temperature and moisture conditions. Part of this project aims at demonstrating the high reliability of sensors and also their resistance to highly alkaline environments and to water intrusion along cables or at sensor locations. Further technical improvements were implemented so that first results clearly show the scalability of the setting process from previous small-scale AAM experiments and particularly the high potential of the newly developed approaches.
Furthermore, ultrasonic methods are used for quality assurance to detect obstacles, potential cracks and delamination. On the one hand, both active and passive ultrasonic measurements complement the results obtained from the multisensor monitoring scheme for the produced specimens. On the other hand, the unique large aperture ultrasonic system (LAUS) provides great depth penetration (up to nearly 10 m) and can thus be applied at in situ sealing structures built as a test site in Morsleben by the Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung, BGE) as shown by Effner et al. (2021). An optimised field lay-out identified from forward modelling studies and advanced imaging techniques applied to the measured data will further improve the obtained results. To characterise the inside of the test engineered barrier and achieve a proof-of-concept, an ultrasonic borehole probe is developed to enable phased arrays that can further improve the detection of potential cracks. Modelling results and first analysis of semispherical specimens confirmed the reliability of the directional response caused by the phased arrays of the newly constructed ultrasonic borehole probe.
Overall, the project SealWasteSafe improves the construction material, multisensor monitoring concepts and ultrasonics for quality assurance. This will help to develop safe sealing structures for nuclear waste disposal. The outcomes are particularly valuable for salt as a host rock but partly also transferrable to alternative conditions.
The Alpine Fault zone in New Zealand marks a major transpressional plate boundary that is late in its typical earthquake cycle. Understanding the subsurface structures is crucial to understand the tectonic processes taking place. A unique seismic survey including 2D lines, a 3D array, and borehole recordings, has been performed in the Whataroa Valley and provides new insights into the Alpine Fault zone down to ∼2 km depth at the location of the Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP)-2 drill site. Seismic images are obtained by focusing prestack depth migration approaches. Despite the challenging conditions for seismic imaging within a sediment filled glacial valley and steeply dipping valley flanks, several structures related to the valley itself as well as the tectonic fault system are imaged. A set of several reflectors dipping 40°–56° to the southeast are identified in a ∼600 m wide zone that is interpreted to be the minimum extent of the damage zone. Different approaches image one distinct reflector dipping at ∼40°, which is interpreted to be the main Alpine Fault reflector located only ∼100 m beneath the maximum drilled depth of the DFDP-2B borehole. At shallower depths (z < 0.5 km), additional reflectors are identified as fault segments with generally steeper dips up to 56°. Additionally, a glacially over-deepened trough with nearly horizontally layered sediments and a major fault (z < 0.5 km) are identified 0.5–1 km south of the DFDP-2B borehole. Thus, a complex structural environment is seismically imaged and shows the complexity of the Alpine Fault at Whataroa.
To conduct a reliable, repeatable and accurate LIBS analysis, the optimization of the experimental setup is an important task. Hardware parameters of lasers and spectrometers used in the setup as well as additionally required components such as optics or process gas pipes must be carefully aligned and adjusted because factors like (i) focal conditions of the optics, (ii) alignment of the sample, (iii) process purge gas (types, flow rate) or (iv) measurement settings (integration time, accumulation of pulses) have a big impact on the signal quality. Therefore, in most cases the effect of different factors is evaluated empirically due to changing one factor at a time while keeping the overall configuration the same. In the end, the optimal configuration is selected based on the best parameters for each influencing factor. During optimization, a configuration of the experimental setup is aimed at, which allows e.g. the highest signal intensity or the lowest variation. In most cases, cross-correlation, interference and interaction among the various factors are not considered. For this reason, the possibilities of using Design of Experiment (DoE) to optimize a LIBS experiment will be shown and advantages of (i) reduction of testing plans using a feature space, (ii) identifying and considering cross-correlations and interactions, (iii) evaluating individual impacts on the measurement (e.g. contour and surface plots) as well as (iv) multivariate models for prediction of impacts will be presented.
In civil engineering, clear regulations and standards, such as the European standard DIN EN 206 apply to ensure that the existing infrastructure is sufficiently resistant to a wide range of exposure conditions. Despite these regulations, in practice concrete structures often show severe damage during their service life. One of these damages is pitting corrosion of the reinforcement, which can be caused by chloride ingress into the structure. Therefore, determining the distribution and depth of chloride ingress is important in predicting the service life. LIBS provides an alternative method to conventional wet chemistry in civil engineering. Despite many advantages, the use of LIBS has been severely limited due to a lack of regulations. Together with project partners from research and industry, we are currently working on a leaflet that will regulate chloride analysis in civil engineering using LIBS. This year, an international round robin test was organized to evaluate the performance of LIBS for chloride analysis in cement pastes. No specifications were given for the experimental LIBS setup and data evaluation. The preliminary results are presented.
This dataset contains raw data resulting from Impact-Echo measurements at the reference conrete block "Radarplatte", located at BAM (German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing). This specimen has been described in detail by Niederleithinger et al. (2021), who applied muon tomography, ultrasonic echo measurements, radar and X-ray laminography to visualize its internal structure.
The Impact-Echo method is based on the excitation of the zero-group-velocity frequency of the first symmetric Lamb mode of a plate-like structure, in order to assess its thickness. Numerous publication elaborate on Impact-Echo theory, examples are (Gibson and Popovics 2005, Schubert and Köhler 2008 , Abraham and Popovics 2010).
The measurements have been conducted using a setup that contains only commercially available components. The setup consists of an Olson CTG-2 concrete thickness gauge (Olsen Instruments, USA) for actuation and sensing and an 8-bit NI USB-5132 digital storage oscilloscope (National Instruments, USA) combined with the Echolyst software (Schweizerischer Verein für technische Inspektionen (SVTI), Switzerland) for data acquisition.
Measurements were conducted using a grid of 23x23 points with a spacing of 50 mm. At each point 8192 samples were recorded at a sampling rate of 1 MS/s.
The dataset contains the (X,Y) location in mm of the individual measurement points as well as the raw measurement data at those points.
The data is provided in the formats *.mir/*.mhdr (Echolyst), *.npy (Python) and *.mat (Matlab) and *.csv to ease the import in various post-processing tools.
Die Alterung bestehender Brückenbauwerke fällt mit dem sich verschlechternden Zustand und zunehmenden Anforderungen an die Bausubstanz zusammen, die eine Folge von steigenden Verkehrszahlen und der Zulassung des Schwerlastverkehrs sind. Der daraus erwachsende Bedarf an Beurteilungen von bestehenden Brücken ist national und international fortwährend groß. Die Grundlage für Nachrechnungen sind die über das System verfügbaren Informationen. Sowohl die rechnerische Zuverlässigkeit eines Tragwerks als auch die Validität der Ergebnisse hängen im Wesentlichen vom Zustand, also von der Qualität und der Relevanz dieser Informationen ab. Die gezielte Messung von gütebewerteten, relevanten Informationen kann die Urteilsfähigkeit des Beurteilenden über die Zuverlässigkeit eines Tragwerks signifikant steigern. Wünschenswert ist die Erhebung derartiger Informationen ohne signifikante Eingriffe in die Bausubstanz.
Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die Entwicklung und Erprobung einer Vorgehensweise für die probabilistische Beurteilung von bestehenden Bauwerken mit zerstörungsfrei gemessenen Daten und einer Methodik zum objektiven Nachweis der Eignung von zerstörungsfreien Messverfahren zur Anwendung im Zuge einer Nachrechnung. Herausgestellt wird die Eignung der im Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) publizierten Regeln zur Bewertung der Qualität der gemessenen Informationen, die später im statischen Nachweis verwendet werden sollen. Die Anforderungen an die Basisvariablen, d. h. an die Eingangsgrößen im probabilistischen Nachweis, werden aus den Vorschriften zur Zuverlässigkeitsanalyse mit dem probabilistischen Näherungsverfahren FORM, der First Order Reliability Method, abgeleitet. Darauf basiert die Entwicklung der Schnittstelle zwischen der Messtechnik und der Nachrechnung. Im Kern werden die messdatenbasierten Basisvariablen explizit als Zufallsgrößen bei der Zuverlässigkeitsanalyse berücksichtigt. Die entwickelte Vorgehensweise wird am Beispiel von zwei Spannbetonbrücken und vier Basisvariablen erprobt. In die Nachweise der Biege- und der Querkrafttragfähigkeit sowie in einen Nachweis der Dekompression fließen geometrische Messergebnisse ein, die mithilfe von Radar- und Ultraschallmessungen generiert werden. Ein wichtiger Bestandteil ist die Bildung von Modellen zur Auswertung der Messungen und zur Berechnung der Messergebnisse.
Es wird gezeigt, dass die Einbeziehung der zerstörungsfrei generierten Messergebnisse die Unsicherheit in den Berechnungsmodellen reduzieren und den Grad der Annäherung der Modelle
an die Realität steigern kann. Die Messergebnisse sind zuverlässig und vergleichbar. Umfassende Sensitivitätsanalysen geben Aufschluss über sinnvollerweise zu messende Bauwerksparameter, die einen maßgeblichen Einfluss auf die Tragwerkszuverlässigkeit ausüben. Auf diese Weise wird die Relevanz der Informationen ermittelt. Das Potential derartiger Analysen für die gezielte Planung und Beauftragung von Messungen sowie für die bedarfsgerechte Zuschärfung von initial unzureichenden Berechnungsmodellen erscheint groß. Die messdatenbasierten Modelle können darüber hinaus die Robustheit einer Tragwerksanalyse steigern. Die Berücksichtigung von Messergebnissen ist dann besonders nützlich, wenn zur Beurteilung erforderliche Informationen fehlen oder Zweifel an den verfügbaren Informationen aufgekommen sind. Im besten Fall resultiert daraus die Verlängerung von rechnerischen Restnutzungsdauern, die Steigerung der Verfügbarkeit der Infrastruktur, die Optimierung des Ressourcenverbrauchs und insgesamt eine realitätsnahe Bauwerksbewertung.
Amorphous, porous materials represent by far the largest proportion of natural and men-made materials. Their pore networks consists of a wide range of pore sizes, including mesoand macropores. Within such a pore network, material moisture plays a crucial role in almost all transport processes. In the hygroscopic range, the pores are partially saturated and liquid water is only located at the pore fringe due to physisorption. Therefore, material parameters such as porosity or median pore diameter are inadequate to predict material moisture and moisture transport. To quantify the spatial distribution of material moisture, Hillerborg’s adsorption Theory is used to predict the water layer thickness for different pore geometries. This is done for all pore sizes, including those in the lower nanometre range. Based on this approach, it is shown that the material moisture is almost completely located in mesopores, although the pore network is highly dominated by macropores. Thus, mesopores are mainly responsible for the moisture storage capacity, while macropores determine the moisture transport capacity, of an amorphous material. Finally, an electrical analogical circuit is used as a model to predict the diffusion coefficient based on the pore-size distribution, including physisorption.
The duraBASt area at the highway intersection “Köln-Ost” is a large test field for road testing.
It includes the duraBASt test bridge which is approximately 66 m long and 14.25 m broad. This bridge is part of the “road in the 21st Century” project and is equipped with several sensors for structural health monitoring. This feasibility study is carried out to investigate the prerequisites necessary for the constraction of intelligent bridges in the foture. Embedded sensors are able to measure quantities such as temperature, strain, moisture, corrosion, etc. In the presented work, the focus is set on passive RFID-based sensors. The communication and energy supply are realised by a mobile transmitter through the concrete cover. Hence, no cables or batteries are required. The sensors are designed to withstand the alkaline environment in concrete. Thus, moisture and corrosion values are measurable for several decades.
In the framework of non-destructive-testing advanced seismic imaging techniques have been applied to ultrasonic echo data in order to examine the integrity of an engineered test-barrier designed to be used for sealing an underground nuclear waste disposal site. Synthetic data as well as real multi-receiver ultrasonic data acquired at the test site were processed and imaged using Kirchhoff prestack depth migration reverse time migration (RTM). In general, both methods provide a good Image quality as demonstrated by various case studies, however deeper parts within the test barrier containing inclined reflectors were reconstructed more accurately by RTM. In particular, the image quality of a specific target reflector at a depth of 8 m in the test-barrier has been significantly improved compared to previous investigations using synthetic aperture Focusing technique, which justifies the considerable computing time of this method.
Air-coupled ultrasonic (ACU) testing has proven to be a valuable method for increasing the speed in non-destructive ultrasonic testing and the investigation of sensitive specimens. A major obstacle to implementing ACU methods is the significant signal power loss at the air–specimen and transducer–air interfaces. The loss between transducer and air can be eliminated by using recently developed fluidic transducers. These transducers use pressurized air and a natural flow instability to generate high sound power signals. Due to this self-excited flow instability, the individual pulses are dissimilar in length, amplitude, and phase. These amplitude and angle modulated pulses offer the great opportunity to further increase the signal-to-noise ratio with pulse compression methods.
In practice, multi-input multi-output (MIMO) setups reduce the time required to scan the specimen surface, but demand high pulse discriminability. By applying envelope removal techniques to the individual pulses, the pulse discriminability is increased allowing only the remaining phase information to be targeted for analysis. Finally, semi-synthetic experiments are presented to verify the applicability of the envelope removal method and highlight the suitability of the fluidic transducer for MIMO setups.
We present a preliminary investigation on distributed humidity monitoring during the drying process of concrete based on an embedded polymer optical fiber (POF). The water dissipated into the POF changes several properties of the fiber such as refractive index, scattering coefficient and attenuation factor, which eventually alters the Rayleigh backscattered light. The optical time Domain reflectometer (OTDR) technique is performed to acquire the backscattered signal at the wavelengths 650 nm and 500 nm, respectively. Experimental results show that the received signal increases at 650 nm while the fiber attenuation factor clearly increases at 500 nm, as the concrete dries out. In the hygroscopic range, the information retrieved from the signal change at 650 nm agrees well with the measurement result of the electrical humidity sensors also embedded in the concrete sample.
While contact and immersion ultrasonic testing are established methods in non-destructive testing (NDT), generating high power air-coupled ultrasound remains a challenging task. Solutions often involve setups that are restricted to lab environments. When field measurements are required, such as in NDT for civil engineering, a handy, robust and safe transducer is needed. For this purpose, an ultrasonic transducer based on a fluidic switch has been developed. A sonic air flow inside the device is switched rapidly so that an ultrasonic signal is generated. Both theory and previous flow simulations suggest that the control flow pressure ramp has only little influence on the switching time of the device. This publication gives an overview over the operating principle of the fluidic ultrasonic transducer and investigates the influence of control tube length and pulsing repetition rate on the ultrasonic pressure amplitude. High repetition rates are found to reduce the signal amplitude, whereas long tubing has only little negative influence on the amplitude while improving signal quality.
"Die effiziente Verwendung von Messergebnissen bei der Nachrechnung und von Ergebnissen aus zerstörungsfreien Prüfungen im Speziellen setzt voraus, dass die Relevanz der messbaren Informationen beziffert, die Qualität der gemessenen Information berechnet und die Anforderungen an die Genauigkeit der Inspektionen aus der statischen Berechnung abgeleitet werden können. Der Vergleich der Anforderungen an eine zu messende Information mit der Qualität der gemessenen Information wird in diesem Aufsatz als Validierung eines Messverfahrens aufgefasst. Es wird gezeigt, wie zerstörungsfreie Prüfverfahren für die Nachrechnung validiert werden können. Die Methodik wird anhand einer mit der Ultraschallecho- und Impulsradarmethode untersuchten Spannbetonbrücke demonstriert."
Damage assessment of civil structures using wave propagation analysis and transmissibility functions
(2021)
This presentation shows the applicaiton of seismic interferometry to vibration recordings. The Normalized-Input-Output-Minimization (NIOM) method to reconstruct the virtual impulse wave propagation is introduced. We obtain wave velocities and transmissibility functions and consider them as reference values for the damage detection method. At the end, the evaluation results are presented by two examples: a 14-story RC building and a 64 m long pedestrian bridge.