THE UNIVERSITY OF LAHORE ISLAMABAD CAMPUS

ULTRASONIC PULSE VELOCITY

TEST FOR CONCRETE
PRESENTED BY……
Eng. RAHIM KHAN (Eagle)

PRESENTED TO
ENG.NAUMAN
Ultrasonic waves
UPV in concrete
Test equipments
Arrangement of equipment
How it works
Methods of UPV test
Relationship with other physical quantities of
concrete
Applications
limitations
Ultrasonic waves are very similar to light
waves in that they can be reflected, refracted,
and focused.
Reflection and refraction occurs when sound
waves interact with interfaces of differing
acoustic properties.
Ultrasonic reflections from the presence of
discontinuities or geometric features enables
detection and location.
Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) testing of concrete is based
on the pulse velocity method to provide information on the
uniformity of concrete, cavities, cracks and defects.
Presence of voids, honeycombing or other discontinuities.
The pulse velocity in a material depends on its density
and its elastic properties which in turn are related to the
quality and the compressive strength of the concrete.
This test method is applicable to assess the uniformity and
relative quality of concrete, to indicate the presence of
voids and cracks, and to evaluate the effectiveness of
crack repairs.
It is also applicable to indicate changes in the properties
of concrete, and in the survey of structures, to estimate
the severity of deterioration or cracking.
 The UPV equipment (e.g. PUNDIT) includes a
transducer, a receiver and an indicator for
showing the time of travel from the transducer to
the receiver (Figure 1) (Pundit manual 1998).
Ultrasonic pulse uses fast potential changes to
create vibration that leads to its basic frequency.
The transducer is firmly attached to concrete
surface to vibrate the concrete. The pulses go
through the concrete and reach the receiver. The
pulse velocity can be determined from the
following equation.
V=L/T
 where
V = pulse velocity
(km/s),
L = path length
(cm), T = transit
time(µs).

FIGURE .1
Pundit
manual
1998
 Based on this technique, the velocity of sound
in a concrete is related to the concrete
modulus of elasticity.
V=√E/ρ
where,
E = modulus of elasticity,
Ρ =density of the concrete
Fig.02
There are three basic ways in which the transducers
may be arranged
Opposite faces (direct transmission)
Adjacent faces (semi-direct transmission)
Same face (indirect transmission).

Fig.03
The equipment consists of two transducers, usually in the
form of metal cylindrical heads, one of which is used to
transmit an ultrasonic pulse and the other is a receiver.
They are brought into contact with the concrete surface
(‘coupled’) using a gel or grease.
They are connected by cable to a control box which
contains a pulse generator, timing circuit and digital
display.
The digital display indicates the time for the ultrasonic
pulse to travel between the transmitting and receiving
transducers.
It is possible to develop an empirical relationship between
pulse velocity and strength but this relationship is
influenced by type of cement, type and size of aggregate,
presence of reinforcement, moisture condition,
compaction and age of concrete.
There are two methods used for this test
Direct method
Indirect method
Direct transmission is the most sensitive, and indirect
transmission the least sensitive.
Indirect transmission should be used when only one face of the
concrete is accessible, when the depth of a surface defect or
crack is to be determined or when the quality of the surface
concrete relative to the overall quality is of interest.
Pulses are not transmitted through large air voids in a material.
Therefore, if such a void lies directly in the pulse path the
instrument will indicate the time taken by the pulse that
circumvents the void by the quickest route. It is thus possible to
detect large voids in concrete when a grid of pulse velocity
measurements is made over a region in which these voids are
located.
Fig.04
Following are the some relationships between pulse
velocity and physic-mechanical properties, such as
modulus of elasticity
compressive strength
density
porosity and permeability.
Other interests are focused on the correlation
between pulse velocities and cement characteristics,
such as
water/cement ratio
aggregate particle size
hydration process
curing temperature effects.
Fig.05
Fig.06
Fig.07
Ultrasonic pulse velocity measurement has
been found to be a valuable and reliable
method of examining the interior of a body of
concrete in a truly nondestructive manner.
Modern equipment is robust, reasonably
cheap and easy to operate, and reliable even
under site conditions; however, it cannot be
over emphasized that operators must be well
trained and aware of the factors affecting the
readings.
From this presentation we conclude that UPV
is used for the following finding the following
properties of concrete.
Measurement of concrete uniformity.
Detection of cracking and honeycombing.
Strength estimation.
Measurement of layer thickness
Measurement of elastic modulus.
Strength development monitoring.