Development of active microwave thermography for structural health monitoring

Active Microwave Thermography (AMT) is an integrated nondestructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) method that incorporates aspects of microwave NDT and thermography techniques. AMT uses a microwave excitation to generate heat and the surface thermal profile of the material or structure under test is subsequently measured using a thermal camera (or IR camera). Utilizing a microwave heat excitation provides advantages over traditional thermal excitations (heat lamps, etc.) including the potential for non-contact, selective and focused heating. During an AMT inspection, two heating mechanisms are possible, referred to as dielectric and induction heating. Dielectric heating occurs as a result of the interaction of microwave energy with lossy dielectric materials which results in dissipated microwave energy and a subsequent increase in temperature. Induction heating is a result of induced surface current on conductive materials with finite conductivity under microwave illumination and subsequently ohmic loss. Due to the unique properties of microwave signals including frequency of operation, power level, and polarization, as well as their interaction with different materials, AMT has strong potential for application in various industries including infrastructure, transportation, aerospace, etc. As such, this Dissertation explores the application of AMT to NDT&E needs in these important industries, including detection and evaluation of defects in single- or multi-layered fiber-reinforced polymer-strengthened cement-based materials, evaluation of steel fiber percentage and distributions in steel fiber reinforced structures, characterization of corrosion ratio on corroded reinforcing steel bars (rebar), and evaluation of covered surface cracks orientation and size in metal structures --Abstract, page iv

Assessment of bonding defects in FRP reinforced structures via ultrasonic technique

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite systems are widely used for the rehabilitation of concrete structures such as building that need to resist to seismic loads, bridges that have to carry heavier traffic loads. The technique consists in bonding the composite plate to the concrete surface element in order to increase the flexural capacity. A proper attachment of the FRP plate to the concrete surface is necessary for the efficiency of the load transfer between the reinforcement and the substrate. In this work, the quality of composite bonding is characterized through ultrasonic testing. The proposed technique is relative to a time domain analysis of the ultrasonic signals and couples the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), used as automatic onset signal detection, and the Equivalent Time-Length (ETL), used as an indicator of the quantity of energy propagating through the bonding. It has been tested both numerically and experimentally, in vitro, using samples with imposed well- known defects

Review and comparison of shearography and active thermography for nondestructive evaluation

postprin

Pulsed-Active Microwave Thermography

Active microwave thermography (AMT) is a thermographic nondestructive testing and evaluation technique that utilizes an electromagnetic-based excitation with a subsequent infrared measurement of the surface thermal profile of the material or structure of interest. AMT has been successfully applied to several aerospace and civil infrastructure applications. This work seeks to expand the performance of AMT by incorporating a signal processing technique common to traditional (flash-lamp) thermography, referred to as pulsed thermography (PT). PT operates on the premise of a pulsed excitation, as opposed to a constant or step excitation (ST) over a given time-period that is typical to traditional active thermography. This work applies the pulsed approach to AMT, herein referred to as P-AMT, and compares the thermal contrast (TC) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of traditional and pulsed AMT inspections as applied to a moisture ingress detection need. The results suggest that the optimal heating time (indicated through SNR) for P-AMT is less than that of traditional AMT with a reduced overall (absolute) temperature. This is important as it relates to any inspection with concerns for thermal damage as well an overall reduction in required inspection time

Improved Quantification Of Defect Cross-Section For Active Microwave Thermography

Active microwave thermography (AMT) is an integrated nondestructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) technique that features a microwave-based excitation and subsequent thermographic inspection via an infrared camera. AMT has been successfully employed in several industries including aerospace and civil for NDT&E inspections. Since the excitation is microwave-based, an antenna is used to irradiate the sample under test and hence the heating pattern will vary spatially (following the antenna pattern). This nonuniform thermal excitation may limit the ability of AMT to quantify defect cross-sections. Therefore, this work seeks to expand the capabilities of AMT by incorporating a post-processing technique to improve defect cross-section quantification. Specifically, an approach based on the temperature gradient is considered, with results compared to other well-established approaches. The effect of noise is also considered. The results, from both simulation and measurement, indicate that the temperature gradient approach provides the least amount of error in defect cross-section quantification

Damage identification in FRP-retrofitted concrete structures using linear and nonlinear guided waves

Structural health monitoring (SHM) involves the implementation of damage identification methods in engineering structures to ensure structural safety and integrity. The paramount importance of SHM has been recognised in the literature. Among different damage identification methods, guided wave approach has emerged as a revolutionary technique. Guided wave-based damage identification has been the subject of intensive research in the past two decades. Meanwhile, applications of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for strengthening and retrofitting concrete structures have been growing dramatically. FRP composites offer high specific stiffness and high specific strength, good resistance to corrosion and tailorable mechanical properties. On the other hand, there are grave concerns about longterm performance and durability of FRP applications in concrete structures. Therefore, reliable damage identification techniques need to be implemented to inspect and monitor FRPretrofitted concrete structures. This thesis aims to explore applications of Rayleigh wave for SHM in FRP-retrofitted concrete structures. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model has been developed to simulate Rayleigh wave propagation and scattering. Numerical simulation results of Rayleigh wave propagation in the intact model (without debonding at FRP/concrete interface) are verified with analytical solutions. Propagation of Rayleigh wave in the FRP-retrofitted concrete structures and scattering of Rayleigh waves at debonding between FRP and concrete are validated with experimental measurements. Very good agreement is observed between the FE results and experimental measurements. The experimentally and analytically validated FE model is then used in numerical case studies to investigate the scattering characteristic. The scattering directivity pattern (SDP) of Rayleigh wave is studied for different debonding size to wavelength ratios and in both backward and forward scattering directions. The suitability of using bonded mass to simulate debonding in the FRP-retrofitted concrete structures is also investigated. Besides, a damage localisation method is introduced based on the time-of-flight (ToF) of the scattered Rayleigh wave. Numerical case studies, involving different locations and sizes of debonding, are presented to validate the proposed debonding localisation method. Nonlinear ultrasonics is a novel and attractive concept with the potential of baseline-free damage detection. In this thesis, nonlinear Rayleigh wave induced at debondings in FRPretrofitted concrete structures, is studied in detail. Numerical results of nonlinear Rayleigh wave are validated with experimental measurements. The study considers both second and third harmonics of Rayleigh wave. A very good agreement is observed between numerical and experimental results of nonlinear Rayleigh wave. Directivity patterns of second and third harmonics for different debonding size to the wavelength ratios, and in both backward and forward scattering directions, are presented. Moreover, a damage image reconstruction algorithm is developed based on the second harmonic of Rayleigh wave. This method provides a graphical representation for debonding detection and localisation in FRP-retrofitted concrete structures. Experimental case studies are used to demonstrate the performance of the proposed technique. It is shown that the proposed imaging method is capable of detecting the debonding in the FRP-retrofitted concrete structures. Overall, this PhD study proves that Rayleigh wave is a powerful and reliable means of damage detection and localisation in FRP-retrofitted concrete structures.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering, 201

A Novel Structural Assessment Technique to Prevent Damaged FRP-Wrapped Concrete Bridge Piers from Collapse

Repairing deteriorated concrete bridge piers using externally wrapped fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have been proven as an effective approach. This technique has also been applied to low-rise building structures. Failures in FRP-wrapped concrete structures may occur by flexural failures of critical sections or by debonding of FRP plate from the concrete substrate. Debonding in the FRP/adhesive/concrete interface region may cause a significant decrease in member capacity leading to a premature failure of the system. In this chapter, a novel structural assessment technique aiming at inspecting the near-surface FRP debonding and concrete cracking of damaged FRP-wrapped concrete bridge piers to prevent the structures from collapse is presented. In the first part of this chapter, failure mechanisms of FRP-wrapped concrete systems are briefly discussed. The second part of this chapter introduces a novel structural assessment technique in which far-field airborne radar is applied. In this development, emphasis is placed on inspection of debonding in glass FRP (GFRP)-wrapped concrete cylinders, while the technique is also applicable to beams and slabs with bonded GFRP composites. Physical radar measurements on laboratory specimens with structural damages were conducted and used for validating the technique. Processed experimental measurements have shown promising results for the future application of the technique. Finally, research findings and issues are summarized.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant CMS-0324607)Lincoln Laborator

Thermal Diffusivity Materials Characterization Via Active Microwave Thermography

Active microwave thermography (AMT) is a relatively new nondestructive evaluation method which is proposed in this work for thermal materials characterization. Specifically, AMT is investigated as a single-sided measurement option for out-of-plane thermal diffusivity (a parameter traditionally measured using a two-sided technique). Simulation and measurement results support the use of AMT for such a characterization for materials backed by an electromagnetically absorptive material. Both lossless and lossy materials may be measured, with better accuracy for lossless materials. The effect of heating time was also considered. The results indicate that for the 50 W system used here, 100 seconds of electromagnetic illumination is necessary to achieve less than 10% error in measured out-of-plane thermal diffusivity for lossless and lossy materials