CAIT project no.: 81 RU900
Fiscal Year: 1999/2000
Status: Final
Rutgers-CAIT Author(s): P.N. Balaguru, Dharm Bhatt, Mohamed Nazier
External Author(s): Carey Younger
Sponsor(s): NJDOT, FHWA-USDOT
Non-destructive evaluation of the condition of structures and possible solutions to improve the life of structures are being researched by a number of investigators. The results presented in this report focus on the performance of two instruments that are useful for rapid evaluation of the existing structures. The two instruments were developed as part of the SHRP program and have potential for wide spread use in the Transportation Infrastructure field. The Air Permeability Meter forces air in a pre-vacuumed concrete to estimate the permeability. The Corrosion Meter measures the corrosion potential and corrosion rate.
For air permeability, tests were conducted on a new concrete surface, rough concrete, a newly painted surface and an old painted surface. A large number of readings were taken using two operators. The Corrosion Meter was used to measure corrosion rate and corrosion potential on instrumented bridges. The results were analyzed using statistical methods. The results and the analysis indicate that both instruments provide repeatable results. The evaluation form, which provides answers to specific questions, is presented in appendix A.