Talk on NDT for the Final year students

A talk on Non Destructive Techniques on concrete using Schmidt’s Rebound Hammer and Ultrasonic Pulse velocity (UPV) were demonstrated to the  final year Civil Engineering  students on 06^th March 2018 by Mr. Celestan Braganza  from the office of Shekhar Panandiker & Associates, consulting Structural Engineers & Architects.

Mr. Celestan explained to the students the working process of the digital rebound hammer , a device used to measure the elastic properties or strength of concrete, mainly surface hardness and penetration resistance. He explained the underlying principle of the device which records the rebound of an elastic mass against which its strikes. He also stated that the rebound depends on the hardness of the surface. He demonstrated the method of obtaining the reading from the device and also showed how the reading from  the hammer could be transferred to a software for better interpretation of the data.

Later he described the Ultrasonic Pulse velocity instrument- a insitu, non-destructive test conducted to assess the homogeneity and integrity of concrete. He explained that in this test, the strength and quality of concrete or rock is assessed by measuring the velocity of an ultrasonic pulse passing through a concrete structure or natural rock formation. He also clearly showed the calibration of the instrument for the testing of concrete member by using the different methods of UPV namely-direct, indirect and semi direct. He mentioned how this test helps in detecting the presence of cracks, voids or other internal imperfections in concrete.