Non-Destructive Concrete Interrogator and Strength of Materials Correlator

Phase I will determine the feasibility that one-sided measurements of low power, noninvasive, nondestructive microwave energy can be used to determine the strength and condition of concrete along with relevant spatial and statistical information. We will make different types of concrete with variations in constituent ratios as test samples; use ASTM tests to destructively determine true strength; collect nondestructive testing (NDT) data; correlate NDT data to ASTM data; develop statistical bounds on both the NDT data and the correlations to ASTM strengths; and design the Phase II prototype.The Phase I work will provide evidence that the proposed approach can produce accurate, rapid, on-site assessment of concrete properties. This assessment is applicable to curing, fully cured, and aged concrete. The sensitivity of microwave signals to chemical and physical changes in materials makes microwave-based techniques ideal for interrogating many properties of concrete structures. We will demonstrate feasibility of microwave-based techniques to evaluate concrete materials properties such as mixing proportions, compressive strength, and aggregate distribution. We will also develop a testing methodology that is rapid, accurate and can be performed with a hand-portable device suitable for in-field measurements (to be developed in Phase II).