Affiliation:
1. Safety Measurement Institute, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
Abstract
Grout voids in the tendons of a post-tensioning bridge reduce their strength. Grout voids are also severe flaws causing corrosion of the steel strands in the tendons. Detecting voids during construction and operation of the tendons is essential to prevent tendon failure, which is critical to bridge safety. This study presents a method for inspecting external tendons for voids in the grout below the protective duct pipe using terahertz electromagnetic waves. Due to low attenuation in the high-density polyethylene duct and the large reflectivity difference between the duct/grout and the duct/void interfaces, terahertz waves are suitable for detecting voids in the grout inside tendons. For this study, we developed a mobile frequency-domain terahertz A-scanner that can be used to measure terahertz A-scan data in real time. It is shown that the mobile terahertz A-scanner can be used to assess the area of the grout void in external bridge tendons.
Funder
Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science
Subject
Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes,Computer Science Applications,Process Chemistry and Technology,General Engineering,Instrumentation,General Materials Science