• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.19-34
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• 2015

One of the main causes of a limited use of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technologies in bridge deck assessment is the speed of data collection and analysis. The paper describes development and implementation of the RABIT (Robotics Assisted Bridge Inspection Tool) for data collection using multiple NDE technologies. The system is designed to characterize three most common deterioration types in concrete bridge decks: rebar corrosion, delamination, and concrete degradation. It implements four NDE technologies: electrical resistivity (ER), impact echo (IE), ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and ultrasonic surface waves (USW) method. The technologies are used in a complementary way to enhance the interpretation. In addition, the system utilizes advanced vision to complement traditional visual inspection. Finally, the RABIT collects data at a significantly higher speed than it is done using traditional NDE equipment. The robotic system is complemented by an advanced data interpretation. The associated platform for the enhanced interpretation of condition assessment in concrete bridge decks utilizes data integration, fusion, and deterioration and defect visualization. This paper concentrates on the validation and field implementation of two NDE technologies. The first one is IE used in the delamination detection and characterization, while the second one is the USW method used in the assessment of concrete quality. The validation of performance of the two methods was conducted on a 9 m long and 3.6 m wide fabricated bridge structure with numerous artificial defects embedded in the deck.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.179-186
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• 2008

Probing inside of concrete structures is one of the important steps in assessing condition of the structure. For the assessment, electromagnetic induction method and electromagnetic wave method are currently applied to the measurement of cover depth, and the detection of reinforcement embedded in concrete. To determine detection capability of locating reinforcement embedded in concrete, commercially available nondestructive testing (NDT) equipments have been tested. The equipments include electromagnetic wave system and electromagnetic induction system. In the tests, nine concrete specimens which have the dimensions of 1,000mm(length))${\times}$300mm(width) with thickness varying from 125mm to 150mm are used. The reinforcement are located at 45, 60, 100mm depth from the concrete surface. Horizontal reinforcement spacing has been set over 100mm. From the outcome, it is shown that error is increased as the diameter of reinforcement enlarge in case of using electromagnetic induction method. In case of using electromagnetic wave method, the detection of reinforcement embedded in deep is good in the view of reliability because of using the relative permittivity on the real cover depth.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.1A
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• pp.53-59
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• 2010

Recently, NDTs (Non-Destructive Techniques) using infrared camera are widely studied for detection of damage and void in RC (reinforced concrete) structures and they are also considered as an effective techniques for maintenance of infrastructures. The temperature on concrete surface depends on material and thermal properties such as specific heat, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusion coefficient. Different porosity on cement mortar due to different mixture proportions can show different heat behavior in cooling stage. The porosity can affect physical and durability properties like strength and chloride diffusion coefficient as well. In this paper, active thermography which uses flash for heat induction is utilized and thermal characteristics on surface are evaluated. Samples of cement mortar with W/C (water to cement ratio) of 0.55 and 0.65 are prepared and physical properties like porosity, compressive strength, and chloride diffusion coefficient are evaluated. Then infrared thermography technique is carried out in a constant room condition (temperature $20{\sim}22^{\circ}C$ and relative humidity 55-60%). The mortar samples with higher porosity shows higher residual temperature at the cooling stage and also shows reduced critical time which shows constant temperature due to back wall effect. Furthermore, simple equation for critical time of back wall effect is suggested with porosity and experimental constants. These characteristics indicate the applicability of infrared thermography as an NDT for quality assessment of cement based composite like concrete. Physical properties and thermal behavior in cement mortar with different porosity are analyzed in discussed in this paper.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.19-26
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• 2014

Concrete guide rail and median barrier are an attached RC member, however they are vulnerable to cracking due to slip form construction and large surface of member. In this study, causes and pattern of cracking are analyzed through assessment and NDT (Non-Destructive Technique) evaluation for concrete guide rail and median barrier on highway structure. For this work, analysis on drying shrinkage and hydration heat are performed considering installation period, and plastic shrinkage is also analyzed considering their environmental conditions. From the evaluation, plastic settlement around steel location, drying/ plastic shrinkage, and aggregate segregation are inferred to be the main causes of cracking in the structures. The crack causes and patterns are schematized and techniques of crack-control are suggested. Furthermore concrete guide rail/ median barrier in the bridge on the sea are vulnerable to cracking at early age so that special attentions should be paid at the stages of material selection and construction.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.71-83
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• 2008

In this paper, the basic principle, the application and the limitation of Infrared thermography technique to detect defects in different kinds of concrete structures are reviewed. Considered are voids beneath the concrete surface with experiments, delamination between concrete surface and fiber reinforced polymer sheet, the deterioration of steel bars in reinforced concrete, surface defects in historical buildings, pavements, bridges, and railway track graves. As a result, we conclude that infrared thermography methods are useful for fast detecting defects; however, they are influenced by environmental factors, specially temperature. Therefore it is recommended to use the infrared thermography technique with other NDT equipments to expect better result.

• KCI Concrete Journal
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.10-18
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• 2001

The spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW) method, which is an in-situ seismic technique, has mainly been developed and used for many years to determine the stiffness profile of layered media (such as asphalt concrete and layered soils) in an infinite half-space. This paper presents a modified experimental technique for nondestructive evaluation of in-place cement mortar compressive strength in single-layer concrete slabs of rather a finite thickness through a correlation to surface wave velocity. This correlation can be used in the quality control of early age cement mortar structures and in evaluating the integrity of structural members where the infinite half space condition is not met. In the proposed SASW field test, the surface of the structural members is subjected to an impact, using a 12 mm steel ball, to generate surface wave energy at various frequencies. Two accelerometer receivers detect the energy transmitted through the medium. By digitizing the analog receiver outputs, and recording the signals for spectral analysis, surface wave velocities can be identified. Modifications to the SASW method includes the reduction of boundary reflections as adopted on the surface waves before the point where the reflected compression waves reach the receivers. In this study, the correlation between the surface wave velocity and the compressive strength of cement mortar is developed using one 36"x36"x4"(91.44$\times$91.44$\times$91.44 cm) cement mortar slab of 2,000 psi (140 kgf/$\textrm{cm}^2$) and two 36"x36"x4"(91.44$\times$91.44$\times$91.44 cm) cement mortar slabs of 3,000 psi (210 kgf/$\textrm{cm}^2$).

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2003

To investigate the safety and stability of a concrete lining, numerous studies have been conducted over the years and several methods have been developed. Most signal processing techniques of NDT have been based on Fourier analysis. However, the application of Fourier analysis to analyze recorded vibrational signal shows results in the frequency domain only, and it is not enough to analyze transient waves precisely. In this study, Wavelet theory was employed for the analysis of non-stationary wave induced by mechanical impact on tunnel concrete lining. The Wavelet transform of transient signals provides a method for mapping the frequency spectrum as a function of time. To verify the availability of Wavelet transform as a time-frequency analysis tool, model experiments have been conducted and the thickness of the concrete lining was estimated based on the proposed theory. From this study, it was found that the contour map by Wavelet transform provides more distinct results than the power spectrum by Fourier transform and it was also found that Wavelet transform was also an effective tool for the analysis of dispersive waves in tunnel concrete linings.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.121-125
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• 2018

This paper presents the assessment of 7-wire strand monitoring using acoustic emission technique for bridges. 7-wire strand is widely used construction materials to provide additional tensile force to bridges. PSC (PreStressed Concrete) bridge and cable-stayed bridge are representatives for such cases. However, as the bridge aging progresses recently, corrosion problems of strand are emerging. For this reason, various NDT (Non-Destructive Test) methods for cable inspection are being studied and applied to the field. One of the NDT methods, acoustic emission technique, is known as an effective technique to detect cable damage and breakage. In this study, to evaluate the applicability of acoustic emission technique to bridges, acoustic emission signals according to damage of the strand were acquired and analyzed by tensile test. Moreover, The optimal AE sensor type was selected for field application. As a result, it is considered that the acoustic emission technique will be able to detect corrosion breakage and signs of rupture.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.259-269
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• 1999

Elastic wave velocity measurement technique such as impact-echo method and ultrasonic pulse velocity method has been successfully used to evaluate the moduli and strength of concrete. However, estimation results obtained by the NDT methods do not agree well with real things because longitudinal wave velocity is influenced by various factors. In this paper, among several factors influencing P-wave velocity, the influence of moisture content in concrete was investigated through the experiment. Test results show that longitudinal wave velocity is significantly affected by the moisture content of concrete, i.e., the lower moisture content. the lower velocity. Moisture content influences rod-wave velocity measured by impact-echo method stronger than ultrasonic pulse velocity measured by transmission method. During drying process with ages. the difference of increasing rate between longitudinal wave velocity and compressive strength of concrete is gradually increased. Therefore, to establish more accurate relationship between longitudinal wave velocity and strength, the difference of the increasing rate should be considered.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 2018

The pullout test, a nondestructive testing(NDT), for pre-installed inserts is perhaps the most widely used technique to estimate the in-situ compressive strength of concrete. It measures the force needed to pullout a standardized metal insert embedded into concrete members. The pullout test was certified by the American Society for Testing and Materials(ASTM) and Canadian Standards Association(CSA) as a reliable method for determining the strength of concrete in concrete structures under construction. To easily estimate the strength of ultra-high-strength concrete, a simplified pullout tester, primarily composed of a standard 12mm bolt with a groove on the shaft as a break-off bolt, an insert nut, and a hydraulic oil pump without a load cell, was proposed. Four wall and two slab specimens were tested for two levels of concrete strength, 80MPa and 100MPa, using a simplified pullout tester with a load cell to verify the advantages of the pullout test and simplified pullout test. The compressive strength of concrete, pullout load, and the rupture of the break-off bolt were measured 11 times, day 1 to 7, 14, 21, 28, and 90. The correlation of the pullout load and the compressive strength of each specimen show a higher degree of reliability. Therefore, a simplified pullout test can be used to evaluate the in-place strength of ultra-high-strength concrete in structures. The prediction equation for the groove diameter of the break-off bolt(y) with the concrete strength(x) was proposed as y=0.0184x+5.4. The results described in this research confirm the simplified pullout's utility and potential for low cost, simplicity, and convenience.