ULTRASONIC WAVE PROPAGATION IN CONCRETE: CHARACTERIZATION OF MECHANICAL DAMAGE AND WAVELET ANALYSIS OF GRAIN-SIZE DISTRIBUTION

The demand for reliable nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods to investigate concrete has drastically increased in recent years. Among the NDE techniques that can be used in concrete, ultrasound has become the most versatile and reliable. An important aspect of ultrasound is the existence of three interrelated parameters that are associated with wave propagation: velocity, amplitude, and attenuation, these parameters can be used for obtaining information about diffuse damage and mix characteristics. This book explores new applications of ultrasonic testing. Pulses were applied to estimate damage in concrete due to mechanical loading and a methodology to estimate aggregate grain-size distribution was developed. The technique explores the flexibility of the wavelet transform. Because of the emphasis on practical applications, the book is accessible to a wide audience. Civil Engineers and researches that work with NDE of concrete will find the book useful and interesting. Since the wavelet analysis of the pulses can also be applied to other NDE techniques, such as impact-echo and acoustic emission, the book should be of interest to users or researchers of NDE.