Trade Journals for the Concrete Industry

Central to the improvement of the concrete infrastructure are tools that evaluate the condition of existing construction. Destructive and non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques are applied. Destructive tests can provide direct information, but are relatively expensive, timeconsuming and cause damage to the structure. Destructive test results often cannot be evaluated using statistical approaches because the number of locations in the structure that can be tested without damage to the structure is limited. On the other hand, NDT techniques are relatively inexpensive to apply, and they can detect, localize, and characterize flaws and damage in concrete structures without leaving any undesirable discontinuities or causing damage to concrete members.