Concrete 'penetrating' scanner

Picture 1 of Concrete 'penetrating' scanner British scientists are developing an ultrasonic scanning technology that not only allows them to " look at the core " of concrete slabs to help track their erosion, but can also locate victims of assassination.

The technology uses ultrasound, similar to the technique used in hospitals to look at the fetus in the uterus. One such system is being developed, producing almost three-dimensional images of the core structure of the concrete blocks. Many such blocks have existed for 50-60 years, and some have exceeded their design life.

In the late 1980s, the Cambridge Ultrasonics Company experimented with ultrasound to investigate concrete structures in search of corrosive traces.

A version of the technology, registered by Sonatest, UK, is trying to create photos in concrete. It uses a beam of six instrument transducers to project sound waves into concrete at different angles. Then, the transducers collect the reflected wave. The software then assembles the raw data into a dummy 3D image of the concrete core.

In the concrete block, the initial signs of damage often appear as shreds of hair. The technology of Sonatest (still in the research and development stage) will distinguish real cracks from the "noise", caused by the roughness of the concrete.

Dr Andrew Andrews, director of Cambridge Ultrasonics, explains: "The design life of many types of concrete is between 50 and 120 years, many of them half a century old. Faster than expected. " Therefore, the need for concrete deterioration tests is very high.

This technology has the potential to be used in police investigations. Woodhead said that if a body was found in concrete 60 years ago, the body would have been ruptured, leaving only a hole. "If you sweep through this concrete block, you can spot the pore."

T.An (BBC)