ABSTRACT

This chapter presents a review of nondestructive testing methods based on the use of stress waves. The pulse-echo, impact-echo, impulse-response, and spectral analysis of surface waves techniques for evaluation of concrete are discussed. The principles, test procedures, signal processing, and representative applications of each method are presented. It is shown that the common feature of the methods is that inferences about internal conditions of concrete structures are made based on the effect that the structure has on the propagation of stress waves. The methods differ in the source of the stress waves, the testing configuration, instrumentation, the characteristics of the measured response, and the signal processing techniques that are used. These differences make each method particularly suitable for specific applications. This chapter supplements Chapter 8 on the ultrasonic pulse velocity method.