Conceptual study of salt-meter with 252Cf neutron source for on-site inspection of bridge structure

Abstract

We studied the feasibility of a portable salt-meter incorporating a prompt gamma neutron activation analysis with a californium-252 neutron source to meet urgent demands for non-destructive methods without pre-processing in large bulk materials such as concrete structures. This technique is aiming at the chloride ion concentration in concrete structures with a depth profile from the surface to steel bar. From the portability point of view, a californium-252 neutron source is adopted and we have performed a preliminary experiment and simulations with a simple geometry. In this paper, we describe the performances of salt detection sensitivities by applying the prompt gamma neutron activation analysis.