Site-Specific Assessment of Strength of Concrete Using a Granular Crystal Sensor

Abstract

Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of mechanical properties is challenging. However, NDE is commonly used to assess structures for various reasons, mainly maintenance. While the practicality of NDE is an advantage, their reliability and accuracy are more debatable. In recent years, highly nonlinear solitary waves (HNSWs) have been described as information carriers that may be utilized to evaluate the mechanical properties of cementitious materials and not without reason. HNSWs can form and propagate from highly nonlinear systems such as a granular crystal sensor which is a one-dimension chain of identical spherical particles with a sensory mechanism inserted in the chain. The interaction that happens at the interface between a medium and the chain of particles influences the properties of the reflected solitary waves, which can then be monitored and used to estimate the properties of the medium. In this document, a review of the background of HNSW was done, discussing the dynamics of the interaction between the particles and the elastic medium, and the design of the granular crystal sensor with different variants. Some literature was reviewed and discussed, mainly covering the more common NDEs, some applications of HNSW, and the reliability and repeatability of the granular crystal sensors (also called HNSW transducers). The objective of this research is to develop a novel NDE technique for the assessment of the strength of hardened cementitious materials with different mix proportions by utilizing the granular crystal sensor and the advantageous behavior of HNSWs. Finally, the main goal of the research is reached as a relationship between the mechanical properties and the wave parameters is established.

Date of Award	Aug 2023
Original language	American English
Supervisor	Tae Yeon Kim (Supervisor)