An integrated approach for the strength evaluation on RC beams by the combination of hammer test and compression test

Abstract

The structural performance of the old existing RC building needs to be evaluated, as it is susceptible to severe damage. There are two different types to examine the RC members’ capacity: the destructive and non-destructive tests, with their drawbacks and difficulties. The main purpose of this research is to establish the integrated approach to evaluating the compressive strength of RC beams by providing the strength distribution visualization. Hence, the combination of the results from the hammer test, compression test, and the two-point load flexural test was taken into account. In this study, a combination of destructive and non-destructive tests was performed on the RC beam specimen. The hammer test results discovered that the concrete strength was distributed randomly with a difference of 20%. However, the strength pattern in the compression zone showed similar results: a lower strength value. The abovementioned results were then validated with the flexural test. By comparing the concrete failure and the strength distribution visualization, the damaged area has a smaller compressive strength than other areas. Thus, the engineers could use the visualization of the strength distribution as a guide in considering repairing options on RC beams more effectively.