Using Ground Penetrating Radar Methods to Investigate Reinforced Concrete Structures

Tosti, Fabio; Ferrante, Chiara

doi:10.1007/s10712-019-09565-5

Cited by 59 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Electromagnetic, elastic wave, optical sensing and infrared thermography methods are widely used in civil engineering for inspecting hard surfaces such as concrete [15,[461][462][463][464]. They are mainly used for determining concrete cover depth and locating rebars with an estimate of their diameter [465].…”

Section: Limitation On the Evaluation Of Corrosion Rate And Interest Of Combining Ndt Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reinforced concrete structures: A review of corrosion mechanisms and advances in electrical methods for corrosion monitoring

Rodrigues

Gaboreau

Gance

et al. 2021

Construction and Building Materials

182

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Steel corrosion is the main cause of deterioration of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. We provide an up-to-date review on corrosion mechanisms and recent advances in electrical methods for corrosion monitoring. When assessing corrosion mechanism, the inherent heterogeneity of RC structures and the significant effect of environmental factors remain major issues in data interpretations. The steel surface condition and local inhomogeneities at the steel-concrete interface appear to have an important effect on corrosion initiation. Considering uniform corrosion in atmospherically exposed reinforced concrete, the two main influencing factors of the corrosion process are the water content and the pore structure at the steel-concrete interface. However, irrespective of the depassivation mechanism, i.e. carbonation or chloride-induced corrosion, nonuniform corrosion is expected to be the main process for RC structures due to local variations in environmental exposure or the presence of interconnected rebars with different properties. Future studies may then be focused on their effect on macrocell corrosion to gain further insights in the corrosion mechanisms of RC structures. Concerning corrosion monitoring using electrical methods, the half-cell potential technique with potential mapping is accurate for locating areas with a high corrosion risk. Recent developments in the measurement of concrete resistivity have shown that the use of electrical resistivity tomography allows to consider appropriately the inherent heterogeneity of concrete and provides more insights on transport phenomena (e.g. water and salts ingress) in the material. Nevertheless, during the corrosion propagation stage, the polarization resistance remains the most important parameter to be determined as it provides quantitative information of the corrosion rate. If conventional three-electrode configuration methods can supply an accurate determination in the case of uniform corrosion, they often fail in the case of macrocell corrosion in field experiments. Recent advances have shown that a four-electrode configuration without any connection to the rebar can rather be used for the non-destructive testing and evaluation of corrosion. If studies are still required to quantify the corrosion rate, this method appears sensitive to localized corrosion and thus more suitable to field investigations. Finally, the coupling of numerical simulations with complementary electrical and other non-destructive testing methods is essential for consolidating the results to provide a better diagnosis of the service life of RC structures.

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Section: Limitation On the Evaluation Of Corrosion Rate And Interest Of Combining Ndt Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reinforced concrete structures: A review of corrosion mechanisms and advances in electrical methods for corrosion monitoring

Rodrigues

Gaboreau

Gance

et al. 2021

Construction and Building Materials

182

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Those qualitative results confirm this method as a useful tool in corrosion detection, as it presents several advantages over other methods: non-invasive testing, fast data acquisition, and the possibility of survey large areas. The application of GPR to corrosion detection is usually tested in laboratory [21]. However, recent field studies have demonstrated the possibility of obtaining a quantitative approach of damage degree by combining GPR with other NDT survey such as infrared thermography [22].…”

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confidence: 99%

Lab Non Destructive Test to Analyze the Effect of Corrosion on Ground Penetrating Radar Scans

et al. 2019

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Corrosion is a significant damage in many reinforced concrete structures, mainly in coastal areas. The oxidation of embedded iron or steel elements degrades rebar, producing a porous layer not adhered to the metallic surface. This process could completely destroy rebar. In addition, the concrete around the metallic targets is also damaged, and a dense grid of fissures appears around the oxidized elements. The evaluation of corrosion is difficult in early stages, because damage is usually hidden. Non-destructive testing measurements, based on non-destructive testing (NDT) electric and magnetic surveys, could detect damage as consequence of corrosion. The work presented in this paper is based in several laboratory tests, which are centered in defining the effect of different corrosion stage on ground penetrating radar (GPR) signals. The analysis focuses on the evaluation of the reflected wave amplitude and its behavior. The results indicated that an accurate analysis of amplitude decay and intensity could most likely reveal an approach to the state of degradation of the embedded metallic targets because GPR images exhibit characteristics that depend on the effects of the oxidized rebar and the damaged concrete. These characteristics could be detected and measured in some cases. One important feature is referred to as the reflected wave amplitude. In the case of corroded targets, this amplitude is lower than in the case of reflection on non-oxidized surfaces. Additionally, in some cases, a blurred image appears related to high corrosion. The results of the tests highlight the higher amplitude decay of the cases of specimens with corroded elements.

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“…The radar method can also be used to locate reinforcement in concrete. It uses the phenomenon of the penetration and reflection of an electromagnetic wave (in the range of 100 MHz–2 GHz) through a medium (reinforced concrete element) which, depending on the medium material type (concrete or steel), the wave penetrates into depth or is scattered or reflected [ 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ]. In the case of the currently used equipment, the method of conducting the research itself is similar to the electromagnetic method, but the interpretation of the results requires more knowledge.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diagnostics of Concrete and Steel in Elements of an Historic Reinforced Concrete Structure

et al. 2021

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Existing buildings, especially historical buildings, require periodic or situational diagnostic tests. If a building is in use, advanced non-destructive or semi-destructive methods should be used. In the diagnosis of reinforced concrete structures, tests allowing to assess the condition of the reinforcement and concrete cover are particularly important. The article presents non-destructive and semi-destructive research methods that are used for such tests, as well as the results of tests performed for selected elements of a historic water tower structure. The assessment of the corrosion risk of the reinforcement was carried out with the use of a semi-destructive galvanostatic pulse method. The protective properties of the concrete cover were checked by the carbonation test and the phase analysis of the concrete. X-ray diffractometry and thermal analysis methods were used for this. In order to determine the position of the reinforcement and to estimate the concrete cover thickness distribution, a ferromagnetic detection system was used. The comprehensive application of several test methods allowed mutual verification of the results and the drawing of reliable conclusions. The results indicated a very poor state of the reinforcement, loss in the depth of cover and sulphate corrosion.

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Using Ground Penetrating Radar Methods to Investigate Reinforced Concrete Structures

Cited by 59 publications

References 80 publications

Reinforced concrete structures: A review of corrosion mechanisms and advances in electrical methods for corrosion monitoring

Reinforced concrete structures: A review of corrosion mechanisms and advances in electrical methods for corrosion monitoring

Lab Non Destructive Test to Analyze the Effect of Corrosion on Ground Penetrating Radar Scans

Diagnostics of Concrete and Steel in Elements of an Historic Reinforced Concrete Structure

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