Characterisation of Cracks in Concrete by Shearwave Reflection Technique

The characterisation of cracks has stepped forward from a laborious investigation of small areas or lengths of a crack found by visual inspection to a technique which even can make use of automated scanning methods and which produces images of cracked and deteriorated areas in the volume of the structure under investigation. This progress is based on the application of novel transducers and novel interpretation strategies. Nevertheless a good understanding of the material, the construction and the relevant loading mechanisms is needed for the proper interpretation of results and the planning of eventual repair work.