Crack monitoring in concrete beams under bending using ultrasonic waves and coda wave interferometry: the effect of excitation frequency on coda

Abstract

Abstract Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials in the world. In recent years, various non-destructive testing (NDT) and structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques have been investigated to improve the safety and control of the current condition of concrete structures. This study focuses on micro-crack monitoring in concrete beams. The experimental analysis was carried out on concrete elements subjected to three-point bending in a testing machine under monotonic quasi-static loading. During the tests, the fracture process was characterized using ultrasonic waves. The recorded signals were further processed by coda wave interferometry (CWI). This technique allowed the detection of cracks using the decorrelation between ultrasonic wave signals collected at different stages of degradation. Different values of excitation frequencies in the range from 100 kHz to 400 kHz were used to investigate the influence of frequency selection on the effectiveness of the damage indication based on the decorrelation of coda waves. The results obtained from the experiments were intended to highlight the effect of the applied frequencies on the coda wave interferometry.