Abstract
The impact-echo diagnostic method is a well-known nondestructive pulse compression test method, which can be relatively easily used for the testing of concrete and reinforced concrete elements. The evaluation of the measurement with this method is based on the analysis of the signal itself in the time and frequency domains. This allows acquisition of information on the velocity of the mechanical wave, the resonant frequency of the specimen or on the presence of internal defects. The ability to interpret these measurements depends on the experience of the diagnostic technician. The advent of classification algorithms in the field of machine learning has brought an increasing number of applications where the entire interpretation phase can be considerably simplified with the help of classification models. However, this automated evaluation procedure must be provided with the information of whether the signal acquired by the test equipment has actually been measured under optimally set conditions. This paper proposes a procedure for the mutual comparison of different measuring setups with a variable tip type, hammer handle and impact force. These three variables were used for a series of measurements which were subsequently compared with each other using multi-criteria evaluation. This offers a tool for the evaluation of measured data and their filtering. As an output of the designed method, each measurement is marked by a score value, which represents how well the acquired signal fit the weight demands for each observed feature of the signal. The method allows the adjustment of selected demands for a specific application by means of set thresholds. This approach enables the understanding of characteristics of the signal in the automated pre-processing of measured data, where computing power is limited. Thus, this solution is potentially suitable for remote long-term observations with sensor arrays or for acoustic emission signals pre-processing.
Highlights
This paper proposes a procedure for the mutual comparison of different measuring setups with a variable tip type, hammer handle and impact force
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Testing of the thickness of concrete elements in the 1990s began to include the acoustic nondestructive impact-echo method [1,2,3], called the resonance method [4], with a mechanical impulse generated by a hammer
Summary
The impact-echo (IE) method has found wide application in the construction industry due to its simplicity, low implementation cost and a relatively wide range of possible uses. This method is dependant on the correct interpretation of measured data. It is employed to measure the length of piles, to localise cracks in massive monolithic structures, to detect and localise the delamination of bridge decks, to diagnose the condition of concrete elements, etc. In the preservation of cultural heritage, it is used either as an in-situ testing method of the current state of structural elements or as a monitoring tool in the form of a sensor array [10,11,12]. Due to a simple testing principle, there are many variations of this method in the form of, for example, the low-frequency pulse-echo method [13,14] or modal analysis [15,16,17]
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