Nondestructive Bridge Deck Testing with Air-Coupled Impact-Echo and Infrared Thermography
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 17, Issue 6
Abstract
Two different nondestructive test (NDT) methods, air-coupled impact-echo (IE) and infrared (IR) thermography are evaluated on a full-scale simulated reinforced concrete bridge deck containing simulated delamination and cracking defects. The IE data are presented as two-dimensional frequency maps and spectral B-scan lines. The IR data are presented as temperature maps on the concrete surface. The lateral boundaries of the detected delaminations are also indicated in the images. The results obtained from each of the individual NDT methods show reasonably good agreement with most of the actual defects. The advantages and limitations of each method to characterize defects are discussed. The consistency and sensitivity of each method are also investigated. Finally, a simple data fusion technique is proposed to improve effectiveness of the individual test data. The findings from this study demonstrate that the combination of air-coupled IE and IR thermography tests is a practical option for consistent and rapid in situ evaluation of reinforced concrete bridge decks.
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Acknowledgments
The writers acknowledge Dr. Kerry Hall, Mr. Suyun Ham, and Mr. Xiaowei Dai for their valuable assistance with the experiments, and Dr. Soheil Nazarian from the University of Texas at El Paso for preparation of the experimental specimen. Also, the writers are grateful for support provided through the SHRP II project program under the direction of Dr. Nenad Gucunski from Rutgers University.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 17 • Issue 6 • November 2012
Pages: 928 - 939
Copyright
© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 27, 2011
Accepted: Nov 30, 2011
Published online: Dec 2, 2011
Published in print: Nov 1, 2012
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