Gun Kim

In situ nonlinear ultrasonic technique for monitoring microcracking in concrete subjected to creep and cyclic loading

This research conducts in situ nonlinear ultrasonic (NLU) measurements for real time monitoring of load-induced damage in concrete. For the in situ measurements on a cylindrical specimen under sustained load, a previously developed second harmonic generation (SHG) technique with non-contact detection is adapted to a cylindrical specimen geometry. This new setup is validated by demonstrating that the measured nonlinear Rayleigh wave signals are equivalent to those in a flat half space, and thus the acoustic nonlinearity parameter, β can be defined and interpreted in the same way. Both the acoustic nonlinearity parameter and strain are measured to quantitatively assess the early-age damage in a set of concrete specimens subjected to either 25 days of creep, or 11 cycles of cyclic loading at room temperature. The experimental results show that the acoustic nonlinearity parameter is sensitive to early-stage microcrack formation under both loading conditions - the measured β can be directly linked to the accumulated microscale damage. This paper demonstrates the potential of NLU for the in situ monitoring of mechanical load-induced microscale damage in concrete components.

The role of nonlinear ultrasound in the diagnosis of early-stage damage in heterogeneous materials

Predictable noninvasive evaluation of engineering materials requires a more reliable sensing technique capable of providing quantitative information of early stage damage. Nonlinear ultrasound (NLU) is a promising candidate because it provides a direct measure of the nonlinear elastic behavior of materials. NLU excels in the direction and quantification of damage that originates at or beneath the material’s microscale. This talk will present a procedure for the second harmonic generation (SHG) measurements using nonlinear Rayleigh surface waves. This technique quantifies material nonlinearity through the acoustic nonlinearity parameter, β. Specifically, microscale material characterization of physical/chemical phenomena in heterogeneous materials will be reviewed by means of the acoustic nonlinearity parameter, β. The results reveal how the SHG technique can provide the quantitative relationship between the acoustic nonlinearity parameter and the damage state of these materials. Last, new strategies for t...

Second harmonic generation using nonlinear Rayleigh surface waves in stone

This research tests the potential application of the Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) method using nonlinear Rayleigh surface waves to nondestructively quantify surface microstructural changes in thin stone. The acoustic nonlinearity parameter (β) has been assessed as a meaningful indicator for characterizing the nonlinearity of civil engineering materials; additionally, Rayleigh waves offer the opportunity to isolate a materials near surface microstructural status. Sandstone was selected for testing due to its relative uniformity and small grain size compared to other stone types; the sample thickness was 2 inches to reflect the minimum panel thickness recommended by the Indiana Limestone Institute. For this research, initially fully non-contact generation and detection techniques are evaluated before a 100kHz wedge transmitter and a 200kHz air-coupled receiver are employed for generation and detection of nonlinear Rayleigh waves. Non-contact transmitters and receivers have advantages such as removing the irregularities associated with coupling as well as not leaving residues, which in stone applications can be considered aesthetically damaging. The experimental results show that the nonlinear parameter, β, can be effectively isolated using the wedge transmitter and non-contact set up and that too much of the signal strength is lost in the fully non-contact method to extract meaningful results for this stone and stones with slow wave speeds. This indicates that the proposed SHG technique is effective for evaluating the nonlinearity parameter, β, and can next be applied to characterize near surface microstructural changes in thin applications of dimensioned stone.This research tests the potential application of the Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) method using nonlinear Rayleigh surface waves to nondestructively quantify surface microstructural changes in thin stone. The acoustic nonlinearity parameter (β) has been assessed as a meaningful indicator for characterizing the nonlinearity of civil engineering materials; additionally, Rayleigh waves offer the opportunity to isolate a materials near surface microstructural status. Sandstone was selected for testing due to its relative uniformity and small grain size compared to other stone types; the sample thickness was 2 inches to reflect the minimum panel thickness recommended by the Indiana Limestone Institute. For this research, initially fully non-contact generation and detection techniques are evaluated before a 100kHz wedge transmitter and a 200kHz air-coupled receiver are employed for generation and detection of nonlinear Rayleigh waves. Non-contact transmitters and receivers have advantages such as removing t...

Sensitivity of acoustic nonlinearity parameter to the microstructural changes in cement-based materials

This research experimentally investigates the sensitivity of the acoustic nonlinearity parameter to microcracks in cement-based materials. Based on the second harmonic generation (SHG) technique, an experimental setup using non-contact, air-coupled detection is used to receive the consistent Rayleigh surface waves. To induce variations in the extent of microscale cracking in two types of specimens (concrete and mortar), shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA), is used in one set, while a companion specimen is prepared without SRA. A 50 kHz wedge transducer and a 100 kHz air-coupled transducer are implemented for the generation and detection of nonlinear Rayleigh waves. It is shown that the air-coupled detection method provides more repeatable fundamental and second harmonic amplitudes of the propagating Rayleigh waves. The obtained amplitudes are then used to calculate the relative nonlinearity parameter βre, the ratio of the second harmonic amplitude to the square of the fundamental amplitude. The experimenta...