ACOUSTIC
EMISSION & NDT SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS
Condition Assessment of Concrete Hinge Joint Bridges
To appear in the proceedings of Emerging Technologies in NDT,
Held 26-28 May 2003, Thessaloniki, Greece
J.R. Watson, Ph. Cole, A.Annastasopoulos
The deterioration of concrete
bridges in the UK is largely due to chloride attack of
reinforcementsteel, which reduces the tensile strength of
the structure. Civil Engineers have the task of quantifying
damagewithin structures in order to prioritise maintenance.
Acoustic Emission (AE) has become an established techniquein
many industries for assessing the extent of damage in a
variety of different structures and materials. Trials
usingprocedures and evaluation methods, developed by
Physical Acoustics Limited supported by research carried out
atCardiff University, were carried out on the concrete half
joints of a motorway bridge on the M6 motorway,England. This
paper discusses the use of AE as a condition assessment tool
for concrete structures and presentsthe findings of the M6
monitoring as a case study.