Sensor and dimensions effects in ultrasonic pulse velocity measurements in mortar specimens

Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) method is a very popular technique used in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) in Civil Engineering. Major benefit of the method is its simplicity. UPV uses the concept of measuring time of a first arrival of ultrasonic wave from one side of the specimen to another. Moreover, UPV is an ASTM standard test method for concrete specimens. The standard specifies the applications of UPV as: assessment of relative quality of concrete, presence of imperfections (i.e. voids, cracks, and the effectiveness of its repairs). UPV can be also applied to monitoring changes in the condition of a specimen. In spite of an easiness of the method the obtained results highly depend on the transducers used, the coupling quality, and the specimen dimensions. In this article the authors focus on the sensor and the dimensions effects. The results for UPV tests on 9 mortar specimens of different heights and diameters are presented. The specimens are tested with 54 kHz and 850 kHz resonant frequency (fc) transducers and the state-of-the-art laser vibrometer (response measurements). The authors discuss the laser vibrometer readings and the influence of specimens' dimensions on the measured pulse velocities. Practical recommendations for the minimal dimensions of the test object in order to minimize the error in the UPV tests are proposed. (c) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.