Nondestructive Inspection Protocol for Reinforced Concrete Barriers [Tech Brief]

Details

• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Barriers (Roads)
  • Corrosion
  • Ground penetrating radar
  • Nondestructive tests
  • Radiography
  • Reinforced concrete
  • Reinforcing steel
  • Structural health monitoring
  • Thermal imagery
  • Tomography
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA-HRT-14-071
• Resource Type:
  Brief
• Geographical Coverage:
  North America
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Abstract:
  Reinforced concrete barriers are generally anchored to the deck of a bridge or retaining wall using reinforcing steel protruding from the main structure or by anchored bars or bolts added during retrofits. Corrosion of steel bars or bolts can weaken this attachment and reduce the capacity of the barrier. Anchorages and adjacent voids are typically embedded in concrete structural elements and consequently cannot be fully inspected visually. Research has been done on nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods to evaluate reinforced concrete and embedded steel reinforcement. Four NDE technologies were examined and tested in this project, and the results of those test are reviewed and summarized in this document. The four NDE technologies considered in this project were ground-penetrating radar (GPR), low-frequency ultrasonic tomography, infrared (IR) thermography, and digital radiography.
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/35942/dot_35942_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 963.07 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Federal Highway Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ca46a6ffb970c7d13fe613e4820941ab8e8c0893b5b7d881be9b337f3e0fcf3e7baec2f3146096179761f72c303350218dcbaddffa2b33d429393585e96e7f76