Quantification of Construction Materials Quality via Frequency Response Measurements: A Mobile Testing Station

Abstract

In construction, ensuring the quality and compliance of materials with specified requirements is often challenging, especially at construction sites. Conventionally, this process necessitates transporting samples to well-equipped laboratories, incurring significant time and financial costs. This article proposes a novel approach through a cost-effective mobile test station, enabling on-site measurements and immediate evaluation results, regardless of the testing conditions. The foundation of our testing methodology lies in the Impulse Excitation Technique (IET), which capitalises on measuring the frequency response of samples while considering their mass and dimensions. By applying this technique, we can effectively determine crucial elastic properties, such as the Young Modulus and Poisson Ratio. These obtained values can then be cross-referenced with established material tables to verify the material’s compliance with the specified order. In this study, the developed universal and mobile test station demonstrated versatility by successfully evaluating three samples of typical construction materials, showing the method’s reliability on some real case measurements. The results substantiate its potential as a reliable mobile quality assurance station. Moreover, the station’s adaptability empowers its use on site, in laboratory settings, or even during material transportation when necessary. This innovation promises to revolutionise material quality assessment, streamlining the construction process and expediting decision making.