Non-Destructive Testing and Instrumentation in a Concrete Lab

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The focus of this project is to improve the quality of undergraduate concrete education by enhancing the concrete laboratory to include new modules for Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and Instrumentation. Concrete is the material of choice for most construction projects in Florida, and students too, often choose concrete courses over similar steel design courses. However, without a complete laboratory and field experience, students can not fully appreciate various aspects of design and construction with a heterogeneous material such as concrete. With the growing state of deterioration of the nation's infrastructure, the necessity for including NDT techniques and field instrumentation in civil engineering curriculum has become more apparent than ever before. The undergraduate program at UCF includes two 3-credit concrete courses; Reinf. Concr. Struct., and Concr. Design, with the second course emphasizing on an actual design project. A two-semester laboratory is developed to parallel the lectures within these courses. The laboratory experiments will include pull-out tests, rebound methods, probe techniques, bond strength mapping reinforcement topology in concrete, measurement of corrosion activity in reinforcement, detection of various forms of flaws in concrete, resonant frequency method, impulse radar technique, ultrasonic methods, maturity functions, acoustic emission, and instrumentation of concrete members. It is believed that the new laboratory will significantly increase student's interest in, and learning from, the concrete coursework. Approximately, 100 students per year will have the opportunity to learn state-of-the-art NDT and instrumentation techniques for concrete in a hands-on laboratory and field experience. UCF has a track record on research in NDT, and the proposed improvements will allow the transfer of knowledge to undergraduate students. UCF is committed to provide: (1) 100% matching funds for acquiring the equipment, (2) continued support for upgrading and mainta ining equipment on a regular basis, and (3) assigning specialized technician to take care of acquired equipment.