• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.164-172
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• 2007

Surface cracks in concrete are common defects that can cause significant deterioration and failure of concrete structures. Therefore, the early detection, assessment, and repair of the cracks in concrete are very important for the structural health. Among studies for crack depth assessment, self-calibrating surface wave transmission method seems to be a promising nondestructive technique, though it is still difficult in determination of the crack depth due to the variation of the experimentally obtained transmission functions. In this paper, the spectral energy transmission method is proposed for the crack depth estimation in concrete structures. To verify this method, an experimental study was carried out on a concrete slab with various surface-opening crack depths. Finally, effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by comparing the conventional time-of-flight and cutting frequency based methods. The results show an excellent potential as a practical and reliable in-situ nondestructive method for the crack depth estimation in concrete structures.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• 제36권3호
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• pp.181-187
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• 2016

A thermal power plant has a heat exchanger tube to collect and convert the heat generated from the high temperature and pressure steam to energy, but the tubes are arranged in a complex manner. In the event that a leakage occurs in any of these tubes, the high-pressure steam leaks out and may cause the neighboring tubes to rupture. This leakage can finally stop power generation, and hence there is a dire need to establish a suitable technology capable of detecting tube leaks at an early stage even before it occurs. As shown in this paper, by applying acoustic emission (AE) technology in existing boiler tube leak detection equipment (BTLD), we developed a system that detects these leakages early enough and generates an alarm at an early stage to necessitate action; the developed system works better that the existing system used to detect fine leakages. We verified the usability of the system in a 560MW-class thermal power plant boiler by conducting leak tests by simulating leakages from a variety of hole sizes (ⵁ2, ⵁ5, ⵁ10 mm). Results show that while the existing fine leakage detection system does not detect fine leakages of ⵁ2 mm and ⵁ5 mm, the newly developed system could detect leakages early enough and generate an alarm at an early stage, and it is possible to increase the signal to more than 18 dB.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• 제27권6호
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• pp.30-38
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• 2023

As the number of old buildings subject to safety inspection increases, the burden on designated institutions and management entities that are responsible for safety management is increasing. Accordingly, when selecting buildings subject to safety inspection, appropriate safety inspection standards and appropriate technology are essential. The current safety inspection standards for old buildings give low scores when it is difficult to confirm damage such as cracks in structural members due to finishing materials. This causes the evaluation results to be underestimated regardless of the actual safety status of the structure, resulting in an increase in the number of aging buildings subject to safety inspection. Accordingly, this study proposed a thermal imaging technique, a non-destructive and non-contact inspection, to detect cracks inside finishing materials. A concrete specimen was produced to observe cracks inside the finishing material using a thermal imaging camera, and thermal image data was measured by exciting a heat source on the concrete surface and cracked area. As a result of the measurement, it was confirmed that it was possible to observe cracks inside the finishing material with a width of 0.3mm, 0.5mm, and 0.7mm, but it was difficult to determine the cracks due to uneven temperature distribution due to surface peeling and peeling of the wallpaper. Accordingly, as a result of performing data analysis by deriving the amplitude and phase difference of the thermal image data, clear crack measurement was possible for 0.5mm and 0.7mm cracks. Based on this study, we hope to increase the efficiency of field application and analysis through the development of technology using big data-based deep learning in the diagnosis of internal crack damage in finishing materials.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.98-106
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• 2003

Nondestructive test (NDT) provides much information on concrete without damage of structural functions. Of NDT methods, elastic wave propagation methods, such as ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) method and impact-echo (IE) method, have been successfully used to estimate the strength, elastic modulus, and Poisson's ratio of concrete as well as to detect the internal microstructural change and defects. In this study, the concretes with water-binder ratio ranging from 0.27 to 0.50 and fly ash content of 20% were made and then their longitudinal wave velocities were measured by UPV and IE method, respectively. Test results showed that the UPV is greater than the longitudinal wave velocity measured by the If method, i.e., rod-wave velocity obtained from the same concrete cylinder. It was found that the difference between the two types of velocities decreased with increasing the ages of concrete and strength level. Moreover, for the empirical formula, the dynamic Poisson's ratio, static and dynamic moduli of elasticity, and velocity-strength relationship were determined. It was observed that the Poisson's ratio and the modulus of elasticity determined by the dynamic method are greater than those determined by the static test. Consequently, for the more accurate estimation of concrete properties using the elastic wave velocities, the characteristics of these velocities should be understood.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.59-69
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• 2000

Acoustic emission is n burst of microseismic waves generated by microscopic failure due to deformation in materials. The study on the detection of initiation and propagation of microcracks from acoustic emission measurement is very important for the evaluation of the stability of underground rock structures by the nondestructive letting method. In this study, acoustic emission was measured under uniaxial stiffness loading test used to obtain the complete stress-strain curves of marble and concrete used as reinforced materials of rock structures. The analysis of acoustic emission parameters and source location were performed to discuss the characteristics of the deformation and failure behavior of rock and concrete. And acoustic emission was measured under cyclic loading test to verify the Kaiser effect associated with the damage of materials, in situ stress of rock, and stress history of concrete structure.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.303-314
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• 2024

Recently, the consecutive shield tunnel boring machine (TBM) has gained attention for its potential to enhance TBM penetration rates. However, its development requires a thorough risk assessment due to the unconventional nature of its equipment and hydraulic systems, coupled with the absence of design or construction precedents. This study investigated the causal relationships between four accidents and eight relevant sources associated with the consecutive shield TBM. Subsequently, risk levels were determined based on expert surveys and a risk matrix technique. The findings highlighted significant impacts associated with collapses or surface settlements and the likelihood of causal combinations leading to misalignment. Specifically, this study emphasized the importance of proactive mitigation measures to address collapses or surface settlements caused by inadequate continuous tail void backfill or damaged thrust jacks. Furthermore, it is recommended to develop advanced non-destructive testing technology capable of comprehensive range detection across helical segments, to design a sequential thrust jack propulsion system, and to determine an optimal pedestal angle.