Untersuchungen zur Steifigkeit und Ultraschallgeschwindigkeit dynamisch beanspruchter Betonproben

Investigations on stiffness and ultrasonic pulse velocity of concrete under fatigue loads

In dynamically loaded concrete structures damage processes occur which depend on the stress level and the number of applied load cycles. The damage evolution is linked with the stiffness reduction of the concrete. It is expected that the stiffness reduction causes stress redistributions at the component level and affects the service life of the structure favorable. But until now the stiffness reduction and the stress redistribution has not been measured in laboratory tests and in situ successfully. It was only found that the real service life is greater than the calculated one or indicators for the stiffness reduction like the component deflection increases with the number of applied load cycles.
In return ultrasound measurement methods are handled to be well suited for the description of such degradation processes. It is supposed that on the basis of ultrasonic pulse velocity measurements the stiffness reduction of dynamically loaded concrete structures can be observed reliable. Against this background, fatigue tests were performed on small-sized concrete specimens. The aim of the tests was to compare the stiffness reduction of the specimen and the results of ultrasonic transmission measurements to make statements about their correlation and to identify the potential for a lifetime monitoring.