On-site inspection of a reinforced concrete structure deteriorated due to corrosion by means of acoustic emission and other techniques

Charlotte van Steen, Fengqiao Zhang, Hussein Nasser, Yuguang Yang, Els Verstrynge

Research output: Contribution to conferenceAbstractScientific

Abstract

Reinforcement corrosion is the most common and most expensive damage mechanism in existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Therefore, the qualitative and sustainable renovation of these structures leads to several important technical challenges. Camilo Torres, a student residence of KU Leuven built in 1968, is an example of a RC building dealing with corrosion problems. Corrosion causes the formation of rust and a reduction of the steel bar’s cross section. The former will eventually cause cracking and spalling of the concrete cover and deterioration of the bond at the reinforcement-concrete interface. An important question that can be asked is to which extent the corrosion process affects the structural capacity of the concrete components and how to deal with this in a renovation process. The focus of this paper is the on-site investigation of the corroded RC components of the Camilo Torres residence to provide input for structural assessment and renovation process. Firstly, the history of the building and used materials are investigated. Secondly, on-site analysis is performed to inventorise global and local damage. Results are compared with findings from previous on-site investigations executed in 2000 and 2014 to examine the damage progress. It was found that the main damage is caused by carbonation-induced corrosion leading to cracking and spalling of the concrete cover. An important part of the rebars have a concrete cover less than 25 mm due to construction errors. Also the presence of honeycombs accelerates the corrosion process. The Acoustic Emission technique is able to detect the damage patterns during tomography and passive acoustic emission sensing, however, more effort is needed to optimise the localisation accuracy.
Original languageEnglish
Pages1-1
Publication statusPublished - May 2018
EventStructural Faults and Repair 2018 and European Bridge Conference 2018 - Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Duration: 15 May 201817 May 2018
http://www.structuralfaultsandrepair.com/

Conference

ConferenceStructural Faults and Repair 2018 and European Bridge Conference 2018
Abbreviated titleSFR Euro Bridge 2018
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityEdinburgh
Period15/05/1817/05/18
Internet address

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