Development of Infra-Red Thermography Ndt Detection of Defects in Concrete and Steel Structures Externally Bonded with Cfrp Systems
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DEVELOPMENT OF INFRA-RED THERMOGRAPHY NDT DETECTION OF DEFECTS IN CONCRETE AND STEEL STRUCTURES EXTERNALLY BONDED WITH CFRP SYSTEMS By Jawdat Mustafa Kamal Tashan B.Sc. Eng. (Hon) M.Sc. Eng. A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences Swinburne University of Technology 2012 To all people who made life at this stage of civilization, in the hope that this work will contribute III Summary SUMMARY Carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are currently used externally to retrofit and strengthen concrete and steel structures. One of the most important requirements of CFRP- strengthened structures is the bond at the interface surface. Bond defects can have a significant influence on the behaviour of the CFRP composite structure. Different non-destructive tests were used previously to detect these defects. This research investigates the ability of infra-red thermography (IRT) non-destructive techniques (NDT) to detect different defects involving unbond areas, debond areas, delamination, wet areas and cracks that may occur at the CFRP-substrate bond surface. The literature review covers the background of the IRT approaches and techniques employed in different applications. A review of the different CFRP applications and their related installation methods used currently to retrofit different civil engineering applications is presented, and summaries and evaluations of current studies that utilize IRT to detect CFRP-concrete bond defects are outlined. A total of 32 CFRP strengthened concrete and steel samples were constructed and tested in this study. Artificial bond defects with different shapes and sizes were implanted under CFRP composites. The defects involve unbond, delamination and debond areas created at the bond line. Groove defects were embedded on the concrete surface of selected specimens to verify the capability of IRT NDT to detect humidity. Cracks of different sizes were generated at the concrete surfaces of several specimens to investigate the technique in crack detectability. CFRP fabrics of different types were used in the strengthening process of concrete and steel specimens. CFRP laminates were also used in different combinations. Single and multiple-layers in the CFRP system were adopted in the retrofitting designs. The experimental work was divided in two major studies: qualitative and quantitative infra-red thermography assessments. The qualitative tests were conducted with IR detector type FLIR B200. Passive and active IRT were developed. Lamps of 2000 watts were used as excitation sources in the active thermography approach. The qualitative V Summary results showed that the IRT is suitable for the detection of bond defects. The results also showed that humid areas at the bond interface can be recognized by means of IRT NDT. Generally, the qualitative thermography test results make this technique a candidate for rapid detection and especially for bond and debonding defects in the bond zone in single CFRP systems (fabric or laminate) and the substructure (concrete or steel). The results indicate that for the purposes of in-depth defect characterization, qualitative thermography is not recommended. The second phase of the experimental work focused on the IRT quantitative approach. A total of 32 specimens were tested during this phase, and different excitation systems were employed. The quantitative studies were subcategorized into eight parts, and each part addressed a different task. These tasks involved: emissivity evaluations, the investigation of different bond defects and crack detection. Moreover, water presence detectability was examined, and different heating inputs were studied. Precise measurements of defect sizes and IRT error elimination studies were performed in the quantitative studies. The overall results show high defect detectability and reasonable accuracy in defect size identification. The experimental results provide guidelines that can help thermographers to conduct efficient IRT NDT involving thermal input that can be used to generate the designed thermal response with minimum thermal detection during the IRT NDT. Numerical analyses were then conducted to simulate and gain a better understanding of the key parameters that have the most influence on the thermal response of a defect within retrofitted surfaces. First, verification studies of the experimental and numerical results were performed. There was a very good correlation between the empirical results and the simulated FE analyses. Two 3D models were built using ANSYS 13 finite element software analysis. One was for a concrete specimen strengthened externally with a single fabric sheet which had a bond defect and the other was attached with double CFRP sheets. Parametric studies involving material thermal properties, material thickness and thermal input loads were carried out for both models. The results of these numerical studies can serve as guidelines for thermographers to enable them to design the thermal load input to achieve desired thermal responses. VI Acknowledgments ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work would not have been possible without the help and contributions of others. First, I would like to express my great appreciation to my main supervisor, Prof. Riadh Al-Mahaidi for his enthusiasm, patience, encouragement and support throughout my research. The support and guidance of my co-supervisor, Prof. John Wilson, is also greatly appreciated. Their continuous inspiration, guidance and advice on my research have been invaluable. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Monash University staff members Mr. Long Goh, Mr. Jeffrey Doddrell, Mr. Alan Taylor and Ms. Jenny Manson for their help and willing assistance with the laboratory phase of this study. Dr. Alex McKnight assisted by proofreading the final version of the thesis. I would also like to thank my colleague, Mr. Asghar Habibnejad for his tremendous support in the experimental program. I am indebted to my wife Ava Sidiq Mamkak for her patience, sacrifice, support and understanding. I would like to thank my mother, Mrs. Najla Albaiaty, Mr. Ali Tashan, Mr. Tariq Tashan, Mr. Muard Tashan, and Ms. Gihan Tashan for their constant encouragement and love throughout the course of my life. VII Declaration DECLARATION The candidate herein declares that the research work presented in this thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other institutions. I affirm that to the best of my knowledge, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text in the thesis. Jawdat Tashan IX Table of contents TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................... V ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................................... VII DECLARATION ...................................................................................................................................... IX TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................................... XI LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................ XVII LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................. XXIX LIST OF NOTATIONS ..................................................................................................................... XXXI 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 1.1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................... 3 1.3 RESEARCH PHASES.......................................................................................................................... 4 1.4 THESIS OUTLINE ............................................................................................................................. 4 2 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................ 7 2.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 INFRA-RED THERMOGRAPHY........................................................................................................... 7 2.2.1 Background .......................................................................................................................... 7 2.2.2 Fundamentals of infra-red radiation .................................................................................... 9 2.2.3 Fundamentals of IRT NDT ................................................................................................. 11 2.2.4 Theoretical principles ......................................................................................................... 11 2.2.4.1 Planck’s law .................................................................................................................................