Advancement on the nondestructive evaluation of concrete using transient elastic waves

Abstract

This paper summarizes the recent advances on the application of transient elastic waves to the nondestructive evaluation of concrete. The first part presents the numerical simulation of transient elastic waves in a plate structure with cracks and flaws. In the second part, a newly developed method for the determination of concrete elastic constants is described. The method is based on the measurements of the Rayleigh wave and the skimming longitudinal wave velocities. Instead of detecting the wave displacement normal to the specimen surface, the tangential displacement signal is detected through the utilization of home-made PZT conical transducers. Finally, recently developed methods for the detection of surface breaking cracks in concrete using transient elastic waves are summarized. The methods include the detection of surface breaking cracks using the imaging of the diffracted wave-front and the inversion technique.