Non-destructive testing for in-place strength estimation of concrete masonry units

摘要

The production factories of concrete masonry units (CMUs) mostly rely on destructive testing as per ASTM C140 for quality assurance. Such testing is expensive and is, therefore, performed on a limited basis. This research investigates the prospects of using non-destructive tests with the rebound hammer and ultrasonic pulse velocity for evaluating the compressive strength of concrete specimens made with materials, mixture proportions and compaction representative of CMUs. A statistical analysis of the testing data shows that these non-destructive testing techniques are not equally reliable. It is concluded that pulse velocity can be a useful tool for the in-situ strength evaluation of CMUs.