Effect of Moisture Distribution on Velocity and Waveform of Ultrasonic-Wave Propagation in Mortar

Materials (Basel). 2021 Feb 7;14(4):790. doi: 10.3390/ma14040790.

Abstract

Considering that the ultrasonic method is applied for the quality evaluation of concrete, this study experimentally and numerically investigates the effect of inhomogeneity caused by changes in the moisture content of concrete on ultrasonic wave propagation. The experimental results demonstrate that the propagation velocity and amplitude of the ultrasonic wave vary for different moisture content distributions in the specimens. In the analytical study, the characteristics obtained experimentally are reproduced by modeling a system in which the moisture content varies between the surface layer and interior of concrete.

Keywords: concrete; elastic modulus; ultrasonic; water content.