Structures

Delamination Assessment of an Ultra-High Performance Concrete Deck Overlay Using Infrared Imaging

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Abstract

Deterioration of bridges is a common issue in the nation’s aging infrastructure system. One of the most common problem is concrete deck degradation, which when left untreated can lead to spalling, exposure and corrosion of the reinforcement, and eventually reduced capacity of the bridge. Use of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) as a bridge deck overlay has the potential to reduce the deck degradation in these situations and extend the service life of the deck. However, reliable bond between the UHPC overlay and the normal concrete (NC) deck interface must be ensured, which may be affected by time depended behavior of UHPC, temperature variations, and seasonal freeze-thaw cycles. This paper presents a method to assess condition of the interface between the UHPC overlay and NC deck. The potential delamination between UHPC and NC is evaluated using infrared imaging, which is a non-destructive technique. A delaminated deck interface area may consist of a complex region comprising of cementitious material, steel fibers, moisture, and air voids. A thermal radiation gradient is expected due to the different thermal conductivities of each material. It is shown that this concept can be used to evaluate delamination of the UHPC layer placed on top of NC deck.

Keywords: UHPC, delamination, deck overlay, concrete bridge deck, infrared imaging

How to Cite:

Wibowo, H., Wood, R. L. & Sritharan, S., (2016) “Delamination Assessment of an Ultra-High Performance Concrete Deck Overlay Using Infrared Imaging”, International Interactive Symposium on Ultra-High Performance Concrete 1(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.21838/uhpc.2016.112