Following stress level modification of real size concrete structures with coda wave interferometry (CWI)
Résumé
The determination of the stress level in in-situ concrete structures is of paramount importance for in the engineering field. CODA wave interferometry (CWI) has been recently proposed to monitor stress levels in pre-stressed concrete structures in a non-destructive manner. The idea is to follow very small changes of the ultrasonic wave velocity linked to stress level modifications, through Murnaghan's theory. The change in velocity, which is of the order of 0.1% for 10MPa for classical concrete, can be measured by taking advantage of the heterogeneity of concrete. The accurate measurement of travel time delay is made possible by a source generating a wave train with wavelength sizes comparable to that of the aggregates in the concrete, resulting in multiple scattering. This method is sufficiently sensitive to record small changes in the medium's mechanical properties. An experiment on a real size concrete structure subjected to time varying loading is described.