NDT-CE - Research

Research

1. Nonlinear Ultrasonic Waves

Nonlinear ultrasonic wave is highly sensitive to tiny changes in materials, which could be induced by microdamage, stress, or ambient conditions (temeparture or humidity). Therefore, nonlinear acoustic testing methods show great potentials for non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of materials with microcracks, especially in complex materials (concrete, rock, bone et al.). Nonlinear acoustic responses may be manifested as changes of wave velocity, resonance frequency, or wave distortions under external excitions.  Research topics in the NDT-CE group include:

  • Stress evaluation based on acoustoelastic effect: 

Prestressed Birdge Girder

Stress evaluation in prestressed concrete bridge girder using ultrasonic wave.

Acoustoelastic experiment  in concrete.

Clayton studies acoustoelastic effect

Acoustoelastic effect in steel.

Stress evaluation is important for prestressed concrete members (bridge girders) and pressure vessels (pipeline, nuclear spent fuel dry canister etc.).  The change of stress can be monitored by measuring ultrasonic wave velocity. Coda wave interferometry (CWI) analysis is used to extract the tiny velcoity change.  PhD student Bibo Zhong measured the acoustoelastic coefficient in concrete and monitor the stress release process in a full-scale prestressed bridge girder using ultrasonic wave (Zhong, Zhu, Morcous 2021).  Clayton Malone is investigating the acoustoelastic effect in stainless steel under biaxial stress condition for pressure minitoring in dry canister for nuclear spent fuel storage. These research activities have been or are currently supported by Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) and Department of Energy (DOE). 

  • Thermally induced nonlinear acoustic effect 

The common methods to measure acoustic nonlinearity include: high harmonics, wave mixing, wave modulation, resonance spectroscopy, and dynamic acoustoelastic test etc. Most methods require careful calibration of test equipment and need special equipment/devices to excite sufficient nonlinear responses at certain strain levels.  The complex calibration procedures and need of special equipment limit the application of nonlinear acoustic technique.  We proposed the thermal modulation of nonlinear ultrasonic wave method, which measures the ultrasonic wave velocity (and amplitude) change due to the ambient temperature change. Significant thermal strain can be generated with a moderate temperature change. We derived the theoretical relationship between the temperature change and nonlinear parameters (third order elastic constant TOEC) (Zhong and Zhu, APL 2021), and validated the findings on metal materials.

Bibo measures TOEC of concrete samples using the thermal modulation test.

Non-contact Air-Coupled Acoustic Sensing

Groud Penetrating RADAR for Bridge Evaluation

 

Journal papers

  1. H Sun, J Zhu. (2020) Determination of acoustic nonlinearity parameters using thermal modulation of ultrasonic waves. Applied Physics Letters 116 (24), 241901 [Link]

  2. Sun, H., & Zhu, J. (2020). Nondestructive evaluation of steel-concrete composite structure using high-frequency ultrasonic guided wave. Ultrasonics, 103, 106096. [Link]

  3. Pashoutani, S., & Zhu, J. (2020). Ground Penetrating Radar Data Processing for Concrete Bridge Deck Evaluation. Journal of Bridge Engineering, 25(7), 04020030. [Link]

  4. Soltangharaei, V., Anay, R., Ai, L., Giannini, E. R., Zhu, J., & Ziehl, P. (2020). Temporal evaluation of ASR cracking in concrete specimens using acoustic emission. ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 32(10), 04020285.

  5. Sun H, Zhu J. (2019) Thermal modulation of nonlinear ultrasonic wave for concrete damage evaluation. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 145(5):EL405-9. [Link]

  6. Sun, H., Pashoutani, S., & Zhu, J. (2018). Nondestructive Evaluation of Concrete Bridge Decks with Automated Acoustic Scanning System and Ground Penetrating Radar. Sensors, 18(6), 1955. [Link][PDF]

  7. Sun, H., Zhu, J., & Ham, S. (2018). Automated Acoustic Scanning System for Delamination Detection in Concrete Bridge Decks. Journal of Bridge Engineering, 23(6), 04018027[Link]

  8. Sun, H., Zhu, J., Ham, S, “Acoustic evaluation of concrete delaminations using ball-chain impact excitation,” The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 141, EL477 (2017); doi: 10.1121/1.4983343.

  9. Sun, H., Zhu, J., “Monitoring early age properties of cementitious material using ultrasonic guided waves in embedded rebar,” Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation 36:5(2017): 1-12.
  10. Liu, S., Bundur Z. B., Zhu, J., and Ferron, R., “Evaluation of self-healing of internal cracks in biomimetic mortar using coda wave interferometry”, Cement and Concrete Research, Vol. 83, 70-78, May 2016.
  11. Zhang, J., Chen, L., and Zhu, J., “Theoretical basis and numerical simulation of parallel seismic test for existing piles using flexural wave,” Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, Vol. 84, 13-21, May 2016.
  12. Liu, S., Zhu, J., and Wu, Z. "Implementation of Coda Wave Interferometry Using Taylor Series Expansion." Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation 34.3 (2015): 1-6.
  13. Liu, S., Zhu, J., Seraj, S., Cano, R., and Juenger, M. “Monitoring setting and hardening process of mortar and concrete using ultrasonic shear waves.” Construction and Building Materials, 72, 248–255, 2014

  14. Remillieux, M. C., Anderson, B. E., Ulrich, T. J., Le Bas, P. Y., Haberman, M.R., and  Zhu, J.,  “Review of Air-Coupled Transduction for nondestructive Testing and evaluation,” Acoustics Today 08/2014; 10(3):36-45. [Link][PDF]

  15. Yuan, J., Zhu, J., and Kim, C.Y., “Comparison of SASW and MASW Methods using MSOR Approach – A Case Study,”, International Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Volume 8, Issue 2 (April 2014), pp. 233-238 .

  16. Kee, S.H., and Zhu, J., “Surface wave transmission across a partially closed surface-breaking crack in concrete”, ACI Materials Journal, Vol.104, No.1, 35-46, January, 2014 [Link][pdf].

  17. Dai, X., Zhu, J., and Haberman M., “A focused electric spark source for non-contact stress wave excitation in solids,” Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 134, EL513 (2013) [Link][PDF]. 

  18. Kee,S.H., and Zhu, J., “Using low cost piezoelectric sensors for ultrasonic pulse velocity measurement in concrete,” Smart Materials and Structures, 22, 115016 (11pp), October, 2013 [Link].

  19. Tsai, Y.T., Haberman M., and Zhu, J., “Transient solution for waves focused by a parabolic reflector”,  Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 133, No.4, 2025-2035, April, 2013 [Link][PDF].

  20. Oh, T., Kee, S.H., Arndt, R., Popovics, J.S, and Zhu, J., "Comparison of NDT Methods for Assessment of a Concrete Bridge Deck," ASCE Journal of Engineering Mechanics, Vol. 139, No. 3, March 1, 2013 [Link].

  21. Kee, S.H., Oh, T., Popovics, J.S., Arndt, R., and Zhu, J., “Nondestructive bridge deck testing with air-coupled impact-echo and infrared thermography,” ASCE Journal of Bridge Engineering, Vol. 17, No. 6, November 1, 2012. [Link]

  22. Tsai, Y.T., and Zhu, J., “Simulation and experiments of airborne zero-group-velocity Lamb waves in concrete plate”, Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation, Vol. 31, No. 4, 373-382,  2012 (10pp). [Link]

  23. Zhang,Y., Wei X., Tsai, Y-T, Zhu, J., Fetrat, F.A., and Gucunski, N., “Multisensor Data Fusion for Impact-Echo Testing of Concrete Structures,” Smart Materials and Structures, Vol. 21, No. 7,  075021 (7pp), June 2012. [PDF][Link]

  24. Zhu, J., Tsai, Y-T., Kee, S.H., “Monitoring early age property of cement and concrete using piezoceramic bender elements,” Smart Materials and Structures, Vol. 20, No. 11, 115014 (7pp), November 2011 [PDF].

  25. Dai, X., Zhu, J., Haberman M., and Tsai, Y-T, “Use of parabolic reflector to amplify in-air signals generated during Impact-Echo testing” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Vol. 130, Issue 4, pp. EL167-EL172, 2011. [Link][PDF]

  26. Kee, S.H., Fernández-Gómez, E., and Zhu, J., “Evaluating surface-breaking cracks in concrete using air-coupled sensors”, ACI Materials Journal, Vol. 108, No. 05, 2011. [PDF]

  27. Kee, S., and Zhu, J. "Surface wave transmission measurements across distributed surface-breaking cracks using air-coupled sensors." Journal of Sound and Vibration, Vol. 330, 5333–5344, 2011. [Link][PDF]

  28. Zhu, J., Kee, S.H., Han, D.Y., Tsai, Y-T., “Effects of Air Voids on Ultrasonic Wave Propagation in Early Age Cement Pastes,” Cement and Concrete Research, Vol.41, No.8, 872-881, 2011. [Link][PDF]

  29. Kee, S.H., Zhu, J., “Effects of Sensor Locations on Surface Wave Transmission Measurements across a Surface-breaking Crack,” IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control, Vol.58, No. 2, 427 – 436, 2011. [PDF]

  30. Kee, S.H., Zhu, J., “Using air-coupled sensors to determine the depth of a surface-breaking crack in concrete”, the Journal of Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 127, No.3, March 2010.  [PDF ]

  31. Shin,S.W., Zhu,J., Min, J., and Popovics, J.S., “Crack Depth Estimation in Concrete Using Energy Transmission of Surface Waves”, ACI Materials Journal, Vol.105, No. 5, 510-516, 2008. [PDF]

  32. Zhu, J. and Popovics, J.S, “Imaging Concrete Structures using the Air-coupled Impact-Echo,” ASCE J. Eng. Mech, Vol. 133, No.6, 628-640, June 2007. [Link]

  33. Zhu, J., Popovics, J.S., “Analytical study of excitation and measurement of fluid-solid interface waves,” Geo. Res. Letter, Vol.3, No.9, L09603 1-4, 2006. [PDF]

  34. Zhu, J. and Popovics, J.S., “Non-contact imaging for surface-opening cracks in concrete with air-coupled sensors,” Materials and Structures, Vol. 38, 801-806, 2005. [PDF]

  35. Zhu, J., Popovics, J.S. and Schubert F., “Leaky Rayleigh and Scholte waves at the fluid-solid interface subjected to transient point loading,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am., Vol. 116, No.4, 2101-2110, 2004. [PDF]