Engineering Commons^™

Classification Of Acoustic Emission Data Into Load Steps Using An Artificial Neural Network, Allen Ross

Theses and Dissertations

The average age of bridges in South Carolina is approaching 40 years, very close to the 50-year service life. Almost 11% of the bridges in South Carolina are rated as structurally deficient, greater than the national average of 7.5% (South 2021). Health monitoring is the concept that in-situ sensors can continuously monitor civil structures and send real time signals of damage. This process allows for automation and could save time and money on the inspection and load rating of bridges. Health monitoring requires sensors that provide uninterrupted data without sacrificing the functionality of the bridge. A prime candidate for this …

Rehabilitation Of Timber Piles Using Fiber Reinforced Polymers Analyzed With Acoustic Emission, Rebekah Marie Krol

Theses and Dissertations

Assessing the current state of infrastructure and implementing strengthening or rehabilitation methods on old or damaged members is important to ensure safety and longevity of structures. Non-destructive testing is an important tool for localizing and characterizing damage in structures, especially structures that are more susceptible to damage because of age or environment. In addition to locating inadequate members, it is essential to have a repair technique in place so that the structure can continue to be used in a safe manner.

This study aims to review the use of acoustic emission for evaluating damage obtained in timber piles subjected to …

Evaluation Of Concrete Degradation Using Acoustic Emission: Data Filtering And Damage Detection, Marwa A. Abdelrahman

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of aging and deteriorating infrastructure in the U.S. has raised concerns regarding its level of serviceability, reliability, and vulnerability to natural disasters. This issue has gained attention recently and efforts are being conducted to accelerate the delivery of enhanced nondestructive testing (NDT) and structural health monitoring (SHM) methods. Acoustic emission (AE) is a strong candidate for these applications due to its high sensitivity and potential for damage detection in different materials. However, several challenges associated with the technique hinder the development of automated, reliable, real-time SHM using AE.

This study aims to advance the use of AE for …

Structural Health Monitoring Of Concrete Systems, Matthew Kelly Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Concrete material is widely used around the world for the construction of many infrastructure including highway bridges, residential and commercial building, dams, electric power generation plants, and nuclear power plants. It is therefore practical to continue development of both improved structural systems as well as innovative condition assessment techniques for new and existing concrete structures. This thesis includes two studies which focus on structural health monitoring of concrete systems. The first project deals with performance assessment of an in-situ precast approach slab system and the second is an investigation of acoustic emission (AE) as a condition assessment technique for alkali-silica …

Assessment Of Damage In Concrete Structures Using Acoustic Emission, Marwa Abdelrahman

Theses and Dissertations

Evaluating the integrity of concrete structures is an essential procedure to ensure structural safety and durability. Non-destructive testing (NDT) is needed for localizing and characterizing the growing damage in existing structures and also for quality control of new structures. Visual inspection is a commonly used method; however it is not suitable for early detection of damage and very dependent on the experience of the inspector. More research is needed to establish advanced methods for structural health diagnosis such as acoustic emission (AE). Acoustic emission is notably sensitive to active damage in concrete structures. This thesis includes three studies that mainly …

Acoustic Emission Source Characterization Of Fatigue Crack Extension In Steel Bridge Material, Md Mozahid Hossain

Theses and Dissertations

The probability of Acoustic Emission (AE) detection associated with fatigue crack extension in steel bridge components is a difficult problem due to the complexity of the AE sources. AE is a very promising technique for structural health monitoring and automated micro-crack detection as it is generated by the material itself, unlike other nondestructive testing techniques (for example impact echo and ultrasonics), which require external input sources. Characterizing the source of AE is an ongoing challenge because AE sensors are not only sensitive to the AE signals but also to mechanical noise and reflections. It is therefore difficult to interpret the …

Assessing Corrosion Damage In Post -Tensioned Concrete Structures Using Acoustic Emission & A Preliminary Investigation Of Biopolymer Doped Cement Mortar For Use In Structural Restoration, Aditya Appalla

Theses and Dissertations

A sizeable portion of the civil infrastructure is made from concrete. An estimate shows that about 7 billion cubic meters of concrete is made annually worldwide. With the deterioration of the infrastructure due to aging or external factors, significant monetary and technological investment is needed for condition evaluation, maintenance and repair. Two areas that account for a considerable portion of this investment are condition evaluation for maintenance of corroded concrete structures and mortar patching for repair and rehabilitation.

The primary method of evaluation of a structure is by visual inspection. But this method is limited as some crucial areas in …