COBRI - Ultrasound NDE tomograph. Design and construction of a portable 3D ultrasound scanner for non-destructive testing and evaluation (NDT and NDE) of concrete in bridges and other building structures
Overview
Background & policy context:
The concrete Pantheon in Rome is in excellent condition after 2 000 years. Steel reinforcement can dramatically reduce lifespan of concrete structures however and deterioration can begin after only 10 years.
Infrastructures such as bridges and roads are usually reinforced concrete, which need continuous monitoring for regular operation and safety. Large concrete structures pose various challenges mainly due to the wide range of aggregates, fragments compacted together, in the material.
‘On a roll’ - non-destructive testing (NDT) using ultrasound
NDT is one of the most effective ways for inspecting such concrete structures. The partly EU-funded COBRI project has developed an easy and efficient system that is also low-cost and portable. As Philippe Olivier, CEO of ELOP AS, the company that coordinates COBRI explains “The main technological breakthrough is a new design for capturing real time ultrasound data from concrete structures and presenting this data in a human readable 3D video format.”
Objectives:
Based on a novel smart design (patent pending) for ultrasonic Image data capture from solid materials like concrete, the project shall develop and implement a fully functional model of a hand held NDT/E (Non-Destructive Testing /Evaluation) instrument. This user friendly NDE tomograph (3D-scanner) shall be able to scan 10 times faster than the current state of the art instrument, with better resolution in a human readable format. This innovative solution will simplify and improve current bridge inspection methods and consequently improve safety, enhance capital investments and road infrastructure capacity. This business project will be the fundament for future technological and commercial expansion for Elop. Validation of the instrument is performed by highly qualified expertise in bridge inspection and NDT (COWI Denmark, Ramboll Norway and Denmark). This validation will also be an introduction of the product to the end users and customers as part of the exploitation and dissemination work.
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