Testing of the Technical Condition of Concrete Products and Structures by the Method of Acoustic–Electrical Transformations

Abstract

The article discusses the possibility of using the acoustic-electrical transformation method to detect cracks and mechanical compressive strength of concrete. Numerical and experimental studies of changes in the parameters of the electromagnetic response of model samples of concrete made of a cement-sand mixture with a crack to a deterministic pulsed acoustic impact are presented. It is shown that the presence of a crack is determined by changes in the amplitude-frequency parameters of the electromagnetic response from the sample. An example of  determining the locations of weakening of the mechanical strength of a concrete construction beam based on the parameters of electromagnetic signals is given. The results of comparative tests for determining the mechanical compressive strength of concrete, obtained using a calibrated sclerometer and an acoustic-electric method, are shown. The results of monitoring the mechanical strength of concrete structures of an operating bridge crossing over a river are also presented based on the parameters of the electromagnetic response that arise during impact probing with acoustic pulses.