Characterization of Moisture Content in a Concrete Panel Using Synthetic Aperture Radar Images
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 32, Issue 1
Abstract
Moisture content in concrete structures is commonly associated with many durability problems (e.g., steel corrosion and freeze-thaw) and can be used in structural health monitoring and nondestructive testing of concrete structures. In this paper, the use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging for characterizing subsurface moisture content and distribution is proposed, using a concrete panel specimen as an example. A concrete panel specimen cast and conditioned in laboratory was air-dried for almost 5 months and simultaneously monitored for its moisture variation by SAR imaging. From the analysis of its SAR images at different moisture contents, it was found that SAR images can not only qualitatively capture the moisture distribution inside concrete but can also quantitatively correlate with the overall moisture content inside concrete. Higher SAR amplitudes indicate stronger electromagnetic scattering response, suggesting greater values of dielectric constant. A critical contour in SAR images is proposed as an insightful measure for the subsurface sensing of concrete. An approach for determining the critical contour in each SAR image is proposed.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Akita, H., T. Fujiwara, and Y. Ozaka. 1997. “A practical procedure for the analysis of moisture transfer within concrete due to drying.” Mag. Concr. Res. 49 (179): 129–137. https://doi.org/10.1680/macr.1997.49.179.129.
Amba, J. C., J. P. Balayssac, and C. H. Détriché. 2010. “Characterization of differential shrinkage of bonded mortar overlays subjected to drying.” Mater. Struct. 43 (1–2): 297–308. https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-009-9489-8.
Bentur, A., S. Diamond, and N. S. Berke. 1997. Steel corrosion in concrete. London: E & FN Spon.
Cai, H., and X. Liu. 1998. “Freeze-thaw durability of concrete: Ice formation process in pores.” Cem. Concr. Res. 28 (9): 1281–1287. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(98)00103-3.
Cano-Barrita, P. D. J., B. J. Balcom, T. W. Bremner, M. B. MacMillan, and W. S. Langley. 2004. “Moisture distribution in drying ordinary and high performance concrete cured in a simulated hot dry climate.” Mater. Struct. 37 (8): 522–531. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02481576.
Chen, D., and A. Wimsatt. 2010. “Inspection and condition assessment using ground penetrating radar.” J. Geotech. Environ. Eng. 136 (1): 207–214. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000190.
Cornell, J. B., and A. T. Coote. 1972. “The application of an infrared absorption technique to the measurement of moisture content of building materials.” J. Appl. Chem. Biotechnol. 22 (4): 455–463. https://doi.org/10.1002/jctb.2720220403.
Fagerlund, G. 1977. “The critical degree of saturation method of assessing the freeze/thaw resistance of concrete.” Mater. Struct. 10 (4): 217–229. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02478694.
Garbalinska, H., M. Stasiak, M. Bochenek, and G. Musielak. 2018. “Assessment of a new method for determining the relationship between effective diffusivity and moisture concentration—Exemplified by autoclaved aerated concrete of four density classes.” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 124: 288–297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2018.03.051.
Gonzalez, J. A., W. Lopez, and P. Rodriguez. 1993. “Effects of moisture availability on corrosion kinetics of steel embedded in concrete.” Corrosion 49 (12): 1004–1010.
Kim, J.-K., and C.-S. Lee. 1999. “Moisture distribution of concrete considering self-desiccation at early ages.” Cem. Concr. Res. 29 (12): 1921–1927. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(99)00192-1.
Klysz, G., and J. P. Balayssac. 2007. “Determination of volumetric water content of concrete using ground-penetrating radar.” Cem. Concr. Res. 37 (8): 1164–1171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2007.04.010.
Kong, J. A. 2000. Electromagnetic wave theory. Cambridge, MA: EMW.
Laurens, S., J. P. Balayssac, J. Rhazi, and G. Arliguie. 2002. “Influence of concrete relative humidity on the amplitude of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) signal.” Mater. Struct. 35 (4): 198–203. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02533080.
Laurens, S., J. P. Balayssac, J. Rhazi, and G. Arliguie. 2005. “Non-destructive evaluation of concrete moisture by GPR experimental study and direct modeling.” Mater. Struct. 38 (9): 827–832. https://doi.org/10.1617/14295.
Li, K., C. Li, and Z. Chen. 2009. “Influential depth of moisture transport in concrete subject to drying-wetting cycles.” Cem. Concr. Compos. 31 (10): 693–698. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2009.08.006.
Multon, S., E. Merliot, M. Joly, and F. Toutlemonde. 2004. “Water distribution in beams damaged by alkali-silica reaction: Global weighing and local gammadensitometry.” Mater. Struct. 37 (5): 282–288. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02481673.
Popovic, S. 2005. “Effects of uneven moisture distribution on the strength of and wave velocity in concrete.” Ultrasonics 43 (6): 429–434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultras.2004.09.007.
Quincot, G., M. Azenha, J. Barros, and R. Faria. 2011. State of the art–Methods to measure moisture in concrete. Portugal: Projetos De Investigação Científica E Desenvolvimento Tecnológico.
Sánchez, I., C. Antón, G. Vera, J. M. Ortega, and M. A. Climent. 2013. “Moisture distribution in partially saturated concrete studied by impedance spectroscopy.” J. Nondestr. Eval. 32 (4): 362–371. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-013-0190-z.
Sbartaï, Z. M., S. Laurens, J. P. Balayssac, G. Ballivy, and G. Arliguie. 2006. “Effect of concrete moisture on radar signal amplitude.” ACI Mater. J. 103 (6): 419–426.
Sbartaï, Z. M., S. Laurens, and D. Breysse. 2009. “Concrete moisture assessment using radar NDT technique–comparison between time and frequency domain analysis.” In Proc., Non-Destructive Testing in Civil Engineering. Nantes, France.
Sbartaï, Z. M., S. Laurens, J. Rhazi, J. P. Balayssac, and G. Arliguie. 2007. “Using radar direct wave for concrete condition assessment: Correlation with electrical resistivity.” J. Appl. Geophys. 62 (4): 361–374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jappgeo.2007.02.003.
Šelih, J., C. S. Antonio, and W. B. Theodore. 1996. “Moisture transport in initially fully saturated concrete during drying.” Transp. Porous Media 24 (1): 81–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00175604.
Senin, S. F., and R. Hamid. 2016. “Ground penetrating radar wave attenuation models for estimation of moisture and chloride content in concrete slab.” Constr. Build. Mater. 106 (1): 659–669. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.12.156.
Shoukry, S. N., G. W. William, B. Downie, and M. Y. Riad. 2011. “Effect of moisture and temperature on the mechanical properties of concrete.” Constr. Build. Mater. 25 (2): 688–696. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2010.07.020.
Stark, D. 1991. “The moisture condition of field concrete exhibiting Alkali-Silica reactivity.” In Vol. 126 of Proc., CANMET/ACI Second Int. Conf. on Durability of Concrete, 973–987. Farmington Hills, MI: American Concrete Institute.
Tsang, L., J. A. Kong, and K.-H. Ding. 2000. Scattering of electromagnetic waves—Theories and applications. New York: Wiley.
Wang, Z., Q. Zeng, L. Wang, Y. Yao, and K. Li. 2014. “Effect of moisture content on freeze-thaw behavior of cement paste by electrical resistance measurements.” J. Mater. Sci. 49 (12): 4305–4314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-014-8126-2.
Ye, T., J. Nanguo, and J. Xianyu. 2018. “Coupling effect of temperature and relative humidity diffusion in concrete under ambient conditions.” Constr. Build. Mater. 159 (20): 673–689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.10.128.
Yu, T. Y. 2010. Damage detection of GFRP-concrete systems using electromagnetic waves–Theory and experiment. Cologne, Germany: LAP LAMBERT.
Yu, T. Y. 2011. “Distant damage-assessment method for multilayer composite systems using electromagnetic waves.” J. Eng. Mech. 137 (8): 547–560. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EM.1943-7889.0000257.
Yu, T. Y. 2017. “Quantitative assessment of CFRP-concrete cylinders using synthetic aperture radar images.” Res. Nondestr. Eval. 28 (3): 168–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/09349847.2016.1173266.
Zeng, Q., T. Fen-Chong, P. Dangla, and K. Li. 2011. “A study of freezing behavior of cementitious materials by poromechanical approach.” Int. J. Solids Struct. 48 (22): 3267–3273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2011.07.018.
Zhang, J., K. Qi, and Y. Huang. 2009. “Calculation of moisture distribution in early-age concrete.” J. Eng. Mech. 135 (8): 871–880. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9399(2009)135:8(871).
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 8, 2018
Accepted: Jun 4, 2018
Published online: Sep 11, 2018
Published in print: Jan 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Feb 11, 2019
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.