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Evaluation of internal void related defects in reinforced concrete slab using electromagnetic wave properties

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Abstract

This study aims to develop a damage-detection algorithm based on the electromagnetic wave properties inside a reinforced concrete structure. The proposed method involves employing two algorithms based on data measured using ground-penetrating radar—a common electromagnetic wave method in civil engineering. The possible defect area was identified based on the energy dissipated by the damage in the frequency-wavenumber domain, with the damage localized using the calculated relative permittivity of the measurements. The proposed method was verified through a finite difference time-domain-based numerical analysis and a testing slab with artificial damage. As a result of verification, the proposed method quickly identified the presence of damage inside the concrete, especially for honeycomb-like defects located at the top of the rebar. This study has practical significance in scanning structures over a large area more quickly than other non-destructive testing methods, such as ultrasonic methods.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Architecture, Soongsil University, Seoul, 06978, Republic of Korea

    Minju Kang, Jinyoung Hong, Taemin Lee, Doyun Kim & Hajin Choi

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  1. Minju Kang
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  2. Jinyoung Hong
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  3. Taemin Lee
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  4. Doyun Kim
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  5. Hajin Choi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hajin Choi.

Additional information

Supported by: National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) Funded by the Korean Government (MSIT) under Grant Nos. RS-2023-00210317 and 2021R1A4A3030117; the Digital-Based Building Construction and Safety Supervision Technology Research Program Funded by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport of the Korean Government under Grant No. RS-2022-00143493; the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) of the Republic of Korea, Project under Grant No. 2023-0097

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Kang, M., Hong, J., Lee, T. et al. Evaluation of internal void related defects in reinforced concrete slab using electromagnetic wave properties. Earthq. Eng. Eng. Vib. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-024-2253-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-024-2253-9

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