Practical Application of Digital Image Processing in Measuring Concrete Crack Widths in Field Studies
Publication: Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 28, Issue 1
Abstract
Cracking in concrete structures is a ubiquitous problem and affects the serviceability of such structures. In many cases, it is imperative to properly measure and monitor a crack’s size to identify locations for repair and rehabilitation. This paper describes two field studies that used digital image processing to measure the width of cracks in concrete structures. The first field study compared crack measurements from digital image processing, a handheld microscope, and a crack gauge card. In the second field study, digital image processing was used to measure end region cracks in precast pretensioned concrete girders. Guidance is provided for engineers who wish to use digital image processing in field studies. Conditions where digital image processing may lead to errors are identified, and limitations of the methods are discussed. In general, the studies demonstrate that image processing methods can efficiently measure the size of cracks in concrete structures in field settings and that image-based measurements are comparable to microscope measurements.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, and code generated or used during the study are available from the corresponding author by request. The available data are crack images, ImageJ data, and spreadsheets.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the Wisconsin DOT (WisDOT) and USDOT for providing the funding for this research. County Materials Corp. of Janesville, Wisconsin, provided the access for the girder field study. Mr. Matt Mueller and Dr. Todd Davis conducted the site visits and data collection for the girder field study. This research was associated with a project funded through WisDOT and the USDOT. Neither WisDOT nor USDOT assumes any liability for the contents or the use of this research, nor does this presentation reflect official views, policies, standard specifications, or regulations of either department.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 28 • Issue 1 • February 2023
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 26, 2022
Accepted: Jul 1, 2022
Published online: Oct 7, 2022
Published in print: Feb 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Mar 7, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Architectural engineering
- Building management
- Comparative studies
- Computer vision and image processing
- Concrete
- Concrete structures
- Continuum mechanics
- Cracking
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Engineering mechanics
- Field tests
- Fracture mechanics
- Materials engineering
- Methodology (by type)
- Precast concrete
- Research methods (by type)
- Serviceability
- Solid mechanics
- Structural engineering
- Structures (by type)
- Tests (by type)
Authors
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