ABSTRACT
The curing of concrete significantly influences the hydration process and the concrete strength development. Inadequate curing leads to a loss of quality and has a negative effect on the durability of concrete. Usually, the effects of inadequate curing are not noticed until years later when the first damages to the structure occur because of the poor concrete quality. This paper presents hyperspectral imaging analyses of concrete structures with emphasis on bridges. Hyperspectral imaging in the near infrared is a contactless method that provides information about material properties in an electromagnetic wavelength range that cannot be seen with the human eye. Laboratory and field tests were carried out. The results showed that differences in the near infrared spectral signatures can be determined depending on the age of the concrete and the type of curing. The data was classified and analysed by evaluating the results using k-means clustering. This method showed a high level of reliability for the differentiation between the different curing types and concrete ages. Applications of hyperspectral imaging to reinforced concrete structures are presented.
