Nondestructive and Noncontacting Testing of Hardened Mortar Specimens Using a Free-Space Method
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 21, Issue 9
Abstract
Microwave transmission (and reflection) properties measured from diverse sides of prepared hardened mortar specimens with different water-to-cement ratios ( and 0.7) and sand-to-cement ratios ( and 2.0) are shown. Measurements were carried out by a simple and inexpensive free-space setup at three discrete frequencies ( , 10, and 12 GHz) in -band (8–12 GHz) during 3–36 months after specimens’ preparation. A recently developed approach (relative difference approach) is applied to predict the state and degree of aging (curing) of specimens using transmission properties obtained from various sides of specimens. It is observed that while reflection properties of specimens are nearly constant, their transmission properties and aging changed, except for the last few months, during 3–36 months. After approximately 30 months, aging of all specimens became constant. It is shown that, for measurements acquired from the same side of specimens with any ratio, the mortar specimen with a higher ratio will lose free water faster than the other specimen over approximately 3–9 months (first stage) of curing. In this stage, the effects of ratio and the operating frequency on temporal differences in transmission properties are not considerable. On the other hand, the mortar specimen with a lower ratio will drop free water sooner than the other specimen during approximately 9–30 months (second stage) of curing. In this stage, while the effect of ratio on temporal differences in transmission properties is still negligible, that of the operating frequency is highly pronounced.
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Acknowledgments
The writer (Mehmetcik) thanks UNSPECIFIEDTUBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) Münir Birsel National Doctorate Scholarship, YOK (The Higher Education Council of Turkey) Doctorate Scholarship, and Leopold B. Felsen Fund with an outstanding young scientist award in electromagnetics for supporting his studies.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 21 • Issue 9 • September 2009
Pages: 484 - 493
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Nov 20, 2007
Accepted: Mar 11, 2009
Published online: Aug 14, 2009
Published in print: Sep 2009
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: John S. Popovics
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