ABSTRACT

While conducting research into aggregate, mortar and concrete durability under freeze thaw and alkali reactivity conditions, it was thought that some form of monitoring of the specimen condition as it goes through the various tests may be usefull. The available sonic equipment was not suitable for the small size samples used in the research, and new equipment had to be designed. The availability of an older generation of microcomputers that could be dedicated to instrument control and monitoring prompted the design of equipment that could, with the help of the computer, accurately measure the velocity of the sonic pulses in the specimen. By comparing the velocities at different stages of the experiment, it was hoped that the progress of the deterioration could be monitored.