William Vélez

Assessment of corrosion rate in prestressed concrete with acoustic emission

Acoustic Emission (AE) sensing was employed to assess the rate of corrosion of steel strands in small scale concrete block specimens. The corrosion process was accelerated in a laboratory environment using a potentiostat to supply a constant potential difference with a 3% NaCl solution as the electrolyte. The embedded prestressing steel strand served as the anode, and a copper plate served as the cathode. Corrosion rate, half-cell potential measurements, and AE activity were recorded continuously throughout each test and examined to assess the development of corrosion and its rate. At the end of each test the steel strands were cleaned and re-weighed to determine the mass loss and evaluate it vis-á-vis the AE data. The initiation and propagation phases of corrosion were correlated with the percentage mass loss of steel and the acquired AE signals. Results indicate that AE monitoring may be a useful aid in the detection and differentiation of the steel deterioration phases, and estimation of the locations of corroded areas.

Early corrosion monitoring of prestressed concrete piles using acoustic emission

The depassivation and corrosion of bonded prestressing steel strands in concrete bridge members may lead to major damage or collapse before visual inspections uncover evident signs of damage, and well before the end of the design life. Recognizing corrosion in its early stage is desirable to plan and prioritize remediation strategies. The Acoustic Emission (AE) technique is a rational means to develop structural health monitoring and prognosis systems for the early detection and location of corrosion in concrete. Compelling features are the sensitivity to events related to micro- and macrodamage, non-intrusiveness, and suitability for remote and wireless applications. There is little understanding of the correlation between AE and the morphology and extent of early damage on the steel surface. In this paper, the evidence collected from prestressed concrete (PC) specimens that are exposed to salt water is discussed vis-à-vis AE data from continuous monitoring. The specimens consist of PC strips that are subjected to wet/dry salt water cycles, representing portions of bridge piles that are exposed to tidal action. Evidence collected from the specimens includes: (a) values of half-cell potential and linear polarization resistance to recognize active corrosion in its early stage; and (b) scanning electron microscopy micrographs of steel areas from two specimens that were decommissioned once the electrochemical measurements indicated a high probability of active corrosion. These results are used to evaluate the AE activity resulting from early corrosion.

Acoustic emission intensity analysis of corrosion in prestressed concrete piles

Corrosion of steel strands in prestressed concrete (PC) bridges may lead to substantial damage or collapse well before the end of the design life. Acoustic Emission (AE) is a suitable nondestructive technique to detect and locate corrosion in reinforced and prestressed concrete, which is key to prioritize inspection and maintenance. An effective tool to analyze damage-related AE data is intensity analysis (IA), which is based on two data trends, namely Severity (average signal strength of high amplitude hits) and Historic Index (ratio of the average signal strength of the most recent hits to the average of all hits). IA criteria for corrosion assessment in PC were recently proposed based on empirical evidence from accelerated corrosion tests. In this paper, AE data from prestressed and non-prestressed concrete pile specimens exposed to salt water wet-dry cycling for over 600 days are used to analyze the relation between Severity and Historic Index and actual corrosion. Evidence of corrosion is gained from the inspection of decommissioned specimens. The selection of suitable J and K parameters for IA is discussed, and an IA chart with updated corrosion criteria for PC piles is presented.Corrosion of steel strands in prestressed concrete (PC) bridges may lead to substantial damage or collapse well before the end of the design life. Acoustic Emission (AE) is a suitable nondestructive technique to detect and locate corrosion in reinforced and prestressed concrete, which is key to prioritize inspection and maintenance. An effective tool to analyze damage-related AE data is intensity analysis (IA), which is based on two data trends, namely Severity (average signal strength of high amplitude hits) and Historic Index (ratio of the average signal strength of the most recent hits to the average of all hits). IA criteria for corrosion assessment in PC were recently proposed based on empirical evidence from accelerated corrosion tests. In this paper, AE data from prestressed and non-prestressed concrete pile specimens exposed to salt water wet-dry cycling for over 600 days are used to analyze the relation between Severity and Historic Index and actual corrosion. Evidence of corrosion is gained from...

Monitoring corrosion in prestressed concrete beams using acoustic emission technique

Early detection of corrosion can help reduce the cost of maintenance and extend the service life of structures. Acoustic emission (AE) sensing has proven to be a promising method for early detection of corrosion in reinforced concrete members. A test program is presented composed of four medium-scale prestressed concrete T-beams. Three of the beams have a length of 16 ft. 4 in. (4.98 m), and one is 9 ft. 8 in. (2.95 m). In order to corrode the specimens a 3% NaCl solution was prepared, which is representative of sea salt concentration. The beams were subjected to wet-dry cycles to accelerate the corrosion process. Two of the specimens were pre-cracked prior to conditioning in order to examine the effect of crack presence. AE data was recorded continuously while half-cell potential measurements and corrosion rate by Linear Polarization Resistance (LPR) were measured daily. Corrosion current was also being acquired constantly to monitor any change in the concrete resistivity. Results indicate that the onset of corrosion may be identified using AE features, and were corroborated with measurements obtained from electrochemical techniques. Corroded areas were located using source triangulation. The results indicate that cracked specimens showed corrosion activity prior to un-cracked specimens and experienced higher corrosion rates. The level of corrosion was determined using corrosion rate results. Intensity analysis was used to link the corrosion rate and level to AE data.

Characterization of corrosion damage in prestressed concrete using acoustic emission

The corrosion of reinforced concrete structures is a major issue from both a structural safety and maintenance management point of view. Early detection of the internal degradation process provides the owner with sufficient options to develop a plan of action. An accelerated corrosion test was conducted in a small scale concrete specimen reinforced with a 0.5 inch (13 mm) diameter prestressing strand to investigate the correlation between corrosion rate and acoustic emission (AE). Corrosion was accelerated in the laboratory by supplying anodic current via a rectifier while continuously monitoring acoustic emission activity. Results were correlated with traditional electrochemical techniques such as half-cell potential and linear polarization. The location of the active corrosion activity was found through a location algorithm based on time of flight of the stress waves. Intensity analysis was used to plot the relative significance of the damage states present in the specimen and a preliminary grading chart is presented. Results indicate that AE may be a useful non-intrusive technique for the detection and quantification of corrosion damage.