The use of non-destructive techniques for the diagnosis of structures and building materials has increased in recent years for different reasons. The state diagnosis of structures and infrastructures is very important to ensure the proper operation, to detect deterioration processes and to perform a preventive maintenance plan. In the case of other types of building materials, such as natural stone, the inspection of the quarries may identify the quality of the material prior to the extraction, reducing costs and environmental impact.
The main purpose of this project is the development of techniques and acoustic instrumentation that will generate an image or representation of building materials that are part of large structures. In order to increase the capacity assessment of these images, they will be merged with the images generated with Ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Since, these techniques have shown greater ability to obtain status information materials in large structures, the different capabilities and information provided by these two types of images will be analyzed. The ferromagnetic microwires will placed into concrete to increase the information produced by GPR signals. The information sought can be divided into two groups: first characterization of the material parameters (elastic parameters, porosity, durable quality, etc.) and second, the detection and evaluation of discontinuities in the material, either because to the built structure (pipes, cameras, trusses, bracing, etc.) or produced by damage or aging (cracks, micro-cracks, corrosion, etc). The results of this research will be applied to solve two problems, first to optimize quarrying natural stone material used in the construction of new buildings, as in the restoration of historical heritage, and second, for the assessment of the state of large concrete structures such as those used in power generation, wind turbines, dams, nuclear power plants, etc. The main objective of the first application will be mainly based on the characterization of the material quality from the quarry, as well as fissures, hollows and natural cracks that exist in the quarries. In the second application will be focus on the detection of any damage that may occur in these facilities, and the status of repairs for maintenance. Several companies are willing to participate as EPOs for helping to define the objectives of the project and to evaluate the results obtained, Arenisca Rosal S.L., Tecnatom S.A, and ENEL.
