Evaluate the influence of steel fiber on the propagation time of ultrasonic waves in high-strength concrete

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In modern high-strength concrete, steel fibers are commonly added to the concrete mix to improve its mechanical properties and structure. The steel fibers typically have a specific length and are randomly distributed to increase the tensile and bonding strength of concrete structures. However, the presence of steel fibers can impact the propagation of ultrasonic waves in concrete, causing alterations in ultrasonic wave transmission characteristics and potentially affecting the ability to assess the quality and safety of construction projects. A successfully produced high-strength concrete (> 60 MPa) from cement, sand, silica fume, and superplasticizer. Using this concrete mix, the authors fabricated beam specimens with dimensions of 150 × 150 × 600 mm for both cases with and without steel fiber reinforcement. Based on the Time-of-Flight Diffraction (TOFD) ultrasonic testing method, the authors conducted a series of experiments on high-strength concrete beam specimens. The results of ultrasonic wave propagation experiments indicated that the presence of steel fibers at a 2% content increased the time of wave propagation. On the other hand, curing conditions, specimen maintenance time, and transmission path distance affected the ultrasonic wave propagation time in high-strength concrete. Understanding the influence of steel fiber content on the propagation time of ultrasonic waves in high-strength concrete can contribute to improving the inspection and quality assessment processes of construction projects. Additionally, it helps enhance the understanding of the properties of high-strength concrete reinforced with steel fibers.