Ultrasonic Tomography in Concrete
Over the last 30 years, ultrasonic tomography of concrete, or concrete tomography, has become widespread as a tool for non-destructive investigation of concrete structural parts.
The technology has historically been used to define the thickness of concrete parts, modulus of elasticity, compliance and anomaly detection.
The method is based on the emission and reception of ultrasonic waves by means of an array of transducers. Along the path of propagation in an inhomogeneous medium (such as concrete), refractions and reflections are obtained which can be triangulated and also evaluated in terms of the level of 'resistance' to wave propagation.
With this data, software is used to build two-dimensional images of the tested section. In this configuration, images closer to reddish tones indicate regions of greater heterogeneity, such as debonding, voids and reinforcement bars. On the other hand, bluer tones indicate areas of low reflection, i.e. greater homogeneity.
Another great advantage of this test is the possibility of investigating structures with only one accessible face, for example:
- Investigations on concrete structural tunnel walls;
- Conference on the grouting of sheaths for active reinforcement in prestressed bridges;
- Investigation of defects and discontinuities in concrete parts in general, such as beams, columns and slabs;
- Measuring the thickness of concrete pieces where only one side is accessible.
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