Article Article
InfraredThermographic and Radar Testing of Polymer-Wrapped Composites

A major application of composite materials in the reinforced concrete industry is to wrap columns with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite fabric, which results in an increase in the columns’ axial compressive strength and ductility due to the confinement provided by the wrap. The presence of debonds between the FRP wrap and the underlying column surface inhibits the proper confinement of the column by the composite wrap. Therefore, it is critical to use nondestructive testing (NDT) to detect the subsurface debonds after the initial wrapping, as well as for inservice monitoring. Detection of these debonds at early stages of their formation can greatly assist in taking timely, remedial action. This paper discusses the use of infrared thermography and ground penetrating radar for subsurface debond detection of concrete cylinders wrapped with either carbon or glass fiber wraps (CFRP or GFRP). These two NDT techniques were chosen because of their capability of rapid data acquisition in the field. The applicability of these techniques for the detection of air- and water-filled debonds under CFRP and GFRP wraps are also discussed and compared.

References
ACI, ACI 440.2R-02: Guide for the Design and Construction of Externally Bonded FRP Systems for Strengthening Concrete Structures, Farmington Hills, Michigan, American Concrete Institute, 2002. Halabe, U.B., A. Vasudevan and H.V.S GangaRao, “Field Testing and Evaluation of FRP Wrapped Timber Railroad Bridge Components Using Infrared Thermography,” Proceedings of the Third US-Japan Symposium on Advancing Applications and Capabilities in NDE, Columbus, Ohio, ASNT, 2005, pp. 342–348. Halabe, U.B., A. Vasudevan, P. Klinkhachorn and H.V.S. GangaRao, “Detection of Subsurface Defects in Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Bridge Decks Using Digital Infrared Thermography,” Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation, Vol. 22, 2007, pp. 155–175. Halabe, U.B., S.S. Dutta and H.V.S. GangaRao, “NDE of FRP Wrapped Columns Using Infrared Thermography,” Review of Progress in Quantitaive Nondestructive Evaluation, D.O. Thompson and D.E. Chimenti, eds., Melville, New York, AIP, Vol. 27B, 2008, pp. 1387–1394. Jackson, D.R., M. Islam and S. Alampalli, “Feasibility of Evaluating the Performance of Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Wrapped Reinforced Concrete Columns Using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), and Infrared (IR) Thermography Techniques,” Proceedings of Structural Materials Technology IV: An NDT Conference, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 28 February–3 March, 2000.
Metrics
Usage Shares
Total Views
95 Page Views
Total Shares
0 Tweets
95
0 PDF Downloads
0
0 Facebook Shares
Total Usage
95