Evaluation of damage to bridge piers using pulse velocity tomography

Abstract

Due to the significant expenses involved in the fabrication of very large scale elements, the nondestructive investigation of impact damage in full-scale concrete structures and structural components is an area of research severely lacking in experimental data. The work presented herein represents a unique perspective into this critical area by describing the evaluation of full-scale impact damage with respect to the structures undamaged state. The replacement of a functionally obsolete bridge created a unique opportunity to conduct full-scale barge impact tests on the structure before demolition. Repeated impact testing was performed on two of the bridge piers. Ultrasonic pulse velocity tomography was used to assess the integrity of the structure before and after impact. The induced damage, the response of the bridge structure, and the viability of using ultrasonic pulse velocity testing for the investigation of impact damage in concrete structures were assessed.