NOn Destructive EValuation of cement based materials by studying weak ELectric signals generated by knocking mechanic load – NODEVEL

Framework:
Archimedes III: Funding of Research Groups in T.E.I. of Athens
“Education and Lifelong Learning” Operational Programme of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF)

Starting Date: 01-03-2012

End Date: 31-08-2014

Budget: 83,000.00€

Project Leader:
Laboratory Electric Characterization of Materials and Electronic Devices (LabECMED)
Department of Electronics Engineering,Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Athens

Coordinator:  Prof. Dimos Triantis, Head of the Laboratory

 

Description:

The proposed research project introduces the study of weak electrical currents that appear in cement based building materials under mechanical stress and especially during the bending process with the three-point bending test technique. The experimental method used is termed Bending Stimulated Current (BSC) technique. Some preliminary measurements derived from this technique have been performed on marble and cement rods. Until today, there are no analytical and systematic recordings of such signals that could lead to a commercial application.

The aim of the project is to highlight a non-destructive method (NDT) which will be capable to check and point out the level of a sample’s damage status. This check can be performed by applying mechanical loading in the form of a Dirac pulse on a number of different samples. The samples will be classified in various classes depending on their history of bending stress as well as on their damage status to which they have been deliberately driven. The study and analysis of the emitted BSC currents will allow the highlighting of the special features of the signals that are related to stressing and to the mechanical strength of the samples in order to train a neural network based on an intelligent decision system capable to classify samples of unknown damage status in one of the predefined classes.
At the same time significant information will be gathered regarding the characteristics and topology of the electrodes used for detecting the electrical signals.  Based on this knowledge, the optimal selection of electrodes will be proposed including the scenario of nesting these electrodes in the body of the samples during production.

Research group:

  • Ilias Stavrakas, Associate Professor, Member LabECMED
  • Alexandros Alexandridis, Assistant Professor, Member LabECMED
  • Filippos Vallianatos, Professor, Director Geophysics Laboratory, T.E.I. of Crete,
  • Zacharias Agioutantis, Professor, Director Rock mechanics Laboratory, Technical University of Crete,
  • John Stonham, Professor, School of Engineering and Design, Brunel, University, U.K.
  • Antonis Kyriazopoulos, Assistant Professor, LabECMED
  • George Hloupis, Lecturer, Member LabECMED

 

Publications:

  • A. Alexandridis, D. Triantis, E. Chondrodima, C. Stergiopoulos, G. Hloupis, I. Stavrakas, K. Ninos: «An adaptive soft-sensor for non-destructive cement-based material testing, through the use of RBF networks», 2012 IEEE conference on Evolving and Adaptive Intelligent Systems (EAIS 2012), Madrid, Spain, May 17-18, 2012, pp. 51-56.
  • C. Stergiopoulos, I. Stavrakas, G. Hloupis, A. Kyriazopoulos, D. Triantis, C. Anastasiadis, J. Stonhmam: “Monitoring Acoustic Emissions and Electrical Signals During Three-Point bending Tests Performed on Cement Mortar Specimens”, 2013 VIII International Conference on Fracture Mechanics of Concrete and Concrete Structures (FraMCoS-8), Toledo, Spain, March 10-13, 2013, pp. 1-9