Modelling the diffusion of electromagnetic waves in concrete

Abstract

Damages of concrete structures need to be characterized by Non Destructive Testing methods for better management. Besides many methods, developments have been made in GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) and looking for observables other than velocity, permittivity, attenuation, arrival time, amplitude, which could be more sensitive to concrete degradations is paramount. This paper presents an analysis of the diffusion of electromagnetic waves in concrete. We have demonstrated that the “diffusivity D” and the “dissipation σ”, obtained by fitting the gprMax modelling results with the 1D analytical solution of the diffusion equation, can be used as new electromagnetic indicators to characterize the structural integrity of concretes.