Non-destructive testing of concrete foundations

Non-destructive Testing of Concrete Foundations

Concrete foundations are a key component in every major structure. They provide the much-needed stability to structural systems, and/or heavy industrial equipment they are supporting. The foundation system and type depend heavily on the superstructure load, and soil properties. As a result, concrete foundations may appear in different shapes, and sizes. In general, foundations can be grouped as: Shallow foundations Deep foundations In reality, engineers might face a broad spectrum… Read More »Non-destructive Testing of Concrete Foundations

Cold Joints in Concrete Beams

Non-Destructive Evaluation of Cold Joints in Concrete

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This technical note briefly discusses non-destructive evaluation of cold joints in concrete structures. We will review how structural engineers and quality control laboratories can utilize NDT methods to assess the quality and integrity of concrete on or around the cold joint. What is Cold Joint in Concrete? Cold joints in concrete primarily happen when there is a significant delay between different concrete pours. For examples, if there is an interruption… Read More »Non-Destructive Evaluation of Cold Joints in Concrete

Non-Destructive Testing of Wind Turbine Foundation

Non-Destructive Testing of Wind Turbine Foundation

Over the past decade, Canada has heavily invested in wind energy, increasing its annual capacity from nearly 2,000 MW in 2008, to 13,000 MW in 2019. That is enough to power approximately 3.3 million homes – 6% of our country’s electricity demand (Canadian Wind Energy Association, 2019). There are 299 wind farms operating from coast to coast, including projects in two of the three northern territories. While the quality control,… Read More »Non-Destructive Testing of Wind Turbine Foundation

Non-Destructive Testing for Detailed Bridge Condition Survey

Non-Destructive Testing for Detailed Bridge Condition Survey

The following article is a quick review of the most cost-effective and easy to implement non-destructive testing for detailed bridge condition survey. We were recently involved in a detailed bridge deck condition survey in Perth, Ontario. The main objective was to inspect and evaluate the existing condition of the bridge deck, identify surface and subsurface defects, and evaluate the corrosion activity. As one might expect, the scope of project leaves… Read More »Non-Destructive Testing for Detailed Bridge Condition Survey

Non-Destructive Testing for Structural Condition Assessment

Non-Destructive Testing for Structural Condition Assessment

Structural Condition Assessment usually refers to the process of collecting observations and data about the existing condition of the structure through systematic and scientific methods. According to the Professional Engineers Ontario Guideline for “Structural Condition Assessment of Existing Buildings and Designated Structures” (PEO, Nov 2016), structural condition assessment are within the practice of professional engineering. This primarily fall in two categories: Preliminary assessment Detailed condition assessment Depending on the objectives… Read More »Non-Destructive Testing for Structural Condition Assessment

In-Place Methods to Estimate Concrete Strength Using Rebound Hammer

Estimate Concrete Strength Using Rebound Hammer

In-Place Test methods to estimate concrete strength has been extremely popular among engineers and inspectors involved in the field of structure inspection, evaluation and condition assessment. Various non-destructive methods have been developed by different researchers over the past few decades to assess in-place strength of concrete. The rebound hammer, developed by Ernst Schmidt, provides an inexpensive and quick method for nondestructive testing and evaluation of the hardness of concrete. In… Read More »Estimate Concrete Strength Using Rebound Hammer

Why We Need Structural Health Monitoring?

Why We Need Structural Health Monitoring? Owners and maintenance managers of capital-intensive assets are looking for cost-effective and reliable inspection and monitoring solutions to ensure safety and reliability of these structures. Modern design codes are now looking in a much longer service life. For example, The Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code (S6-14, 2014) considers a service life of 75 years for newly constructed bridges. One good example in this case… Read More »Why We Need Structural Health Monitoring?

the future of bridge inspection

The Future of Bridge Inspection

The Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code (S6-14, 2014) considers a service life of 75 years for newly constructed bridge. What does this mean in engineering terms? It means that the bridges of the future should have satisfactory performance, both durability and structural, during the proposed life-cycle. This can be quite challenging when we look closely; the environment and environmental loading (i.e. snow, freeze and thaw cycles, corrosion, earthquakes, etc.) can… Read More »The Future of Bridge Inspection

How To Test Concrete Using Impact-Echo Method

How to Test Concrete Using Impact-Echo Method?

In this article, we will briefly present and discuss Impact-Echo (IE) method for testing concrete structures. The concept behind the technique will be reviewed. We will also study the applications and limitation of the IE method and How to Test Concrete Using Impact-Echo Method.  The test method was adapted as a standard test procedure by the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM C1383) (1), “Standard Test Method for Measuring the P-Wave… Read More »How to Test Concrete Using Impact-Echo Method?