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IJSCER 2021 Vol.10(2): 76-79
doi: 10.18178/ijscer.10.2.76-79

Nondestructive Testing on Reinforced Concrete Structure: A Case Study

Noura A. Almutawa, Hasan A. Almuhanna, and Ali K. Saleh
Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR)
Sustainability and Reliability of Infrastructures Program (SRI)
Kuwait City, Kuwait

Manuscript received November 16, 2020; revised November 20, 2020; accepted February 9, 2021;issue published May 20, 2021

Abstract—Non-destructive testing (NDT) is commonly implemented to determine the reliability of the concrete structure elements. In this study, we present a non-destructive diagnosis of structural members of an existing reinforced concrete building. Different types of in situ non-invasive tests such as Schmidt Hammer and ultrasonic pulse velocity together with invasive concrete coring were carried out to investigate the relation between rebound number/ultra sonic pulse velocity and concrete compressive strength by the following correlations: 1) Linear regression, 2) Exponential regression, and 3) Multiple nonlinear regression. Among these cases, the combined SonReb model yielded the most reliable estimates to predict the compressive strength, where a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.81 was obtained. However, the use of rebound hammer test only found to be not adequate for the estimation of compressive strength. Due to the exposure of the RC building to the harsh environment for long period (more than 30 years), data from 18 extracted cores were further analyzed to study the effect of carbonation on steel reinforcement. The presence of significant carbonation depth (22 mm) and the large amounts of chloride lead to severe steel corrosion in several parts of the structure.

Index Terms—Non-destructive tests, invasive and noninvasive tests, Compressive strength, Schmidt hammer, ultrasonic pulse velocity, SonReb, carbonation depth

Cite: Noura A. Almutawa, Hasan A. Almuhanna, and Ali K. Saleh, "Nondestructive Testing on Reinforced Concrete Structure: A Case Study," International Journal of Structural and Civil Engineering Research, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 76-79, May 2021. doi: 10.18178/ijscer.10.2.76-79

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