Materials and Structures/Mat6riaux et Constructions,Vol.

34, April 2001, pp 134-143

RILEM TC 127-MS: NON DESTRUCTIVETESTSFOR MASONRY MATERIALSAND

STRUCTURES

Recommendationsof RILFM TC 127-MS: Testsfor masonry materials and structures

The texts presented hereunderare drafisfor general consideration. Comments should be sent to the Chairlady:
Prof. Luigia Bin&, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Strutturale, Politecnicodi Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 MILANO - ITALY
Fax (39) 02 23994220, Email: [email protected] by October200I.

SUMMARY 127-MS to systematlse such methodologies and to

encapsulate a substantial body of experience gained to-
There is considerable interest in the use of non- date. The methodolgy will be developed further by
destructive (non-invasive) tests to investigate structures committee MDT.
and determine the sub-surface arrangement of materials The tests are:
and their condition and whether any faults are present. MS.D.3: Radar Investigation of Masonry
This is particularly important for heritage masonry MS.D.4: Measurement of Local Dynamic Behaviour
structures where large scale destructive tests, such as cor- for Masonry
ing or dismantling would be unacceptable. These three MS.D.8: Electrical Conductivity Investigation of
test procedures are a first attempt by the late committee Masonry

Category D:
In-situ and non-destructive test proposed test method
MS.D.3: RADAR INVESTIGATION OF MASONRY

D.3.1 CONTENTS D.3.11 Test report

D.3.12 Interpretation of test results
D.3.2 Scope D.3.13 References
D.3.3 Background
D.3.4 Site application of the test
D.3.5 Test locations D.3.2 SCOPE
D.3.6 Principle of test
D.3.7 Conditions of testing This recommendation specifies a method for radar
D.3.8 Apparatus investigation of masonry structures using impulse radar
D.3.9 Procedure techniques. Details regarding the principles involved, the
D.3.10 Test results apparatus, the method of test, the method of calculation

1359-5997/01 9 RILEM 13 1
 Materials and Structures/Mat~riaux et Constructions, Vol.34, April2001

and the contents of the test report are provided. The D.3.6 PRINCIPLE OF TEST
impulse (shear) waves, of radio frequency may be intro-
duced using antenna of varying centre frequency. The principle behind the test is one of applying an
electromagnetic impulse to the structure. The electro-
magnetic impulse is emitted as a half sine wave via an
D.3.3 BACKGROUND antenna of a certain centre frequency. In between puls-
ing at 50 kHz the antenna switches to receiving mode.
Historic structures such as cathedrals and masonry The data is stored in the time domain and may be dis-
arch bridges rarely have accurate or perhaps aW drawings played either on a computer screen or printed out on a
of their construction. Considerable problems occur chart recorder. The centre frequency should normally be
when it becomes necessary to assess the structural stabil- in the range between 0.1 GHz and 1.5 GHz depending
ity of a critical component of a complex structure. on the size and condition of the subject structure.
Examples include: bell towers of churches, the arch The wave may be travelling through a multi-layer sys-
thickness and springer shape of both brick and stone tem of brick, mortar, fixings and possibly a defective zone.
masonry bridges, the shape of masonry gravity retaining The electromagnetic pulse will be partially transmitted
wails. Within the European Community a special prob- and partially reflected at each boundary between materi-
lem arises due to the increasing axle loads dictated by als, making up the masonry structure, which have differ-
Community policies. One strategy currently adopted by ing dielectric properties. Significant cracks also behave as
bridge managers is to assess the load carrying capacity, if such boundaries because the wave has to pass from solid
the bridge fails but looks OK - then the new strategy is material to air and back to solid material when traversing
"monitor". Thus non-invasive techniques such as radar the crack. Discreet zones of dampness or higher soluble
have a growing role. salts content also act as boundaries because the higher
electrical conductivity that results, alters the dielectric
constant, but gradual or subtle variations in moisture or
D.3.4 SITE APPLICATION OF THE TEST salts content are unlikely to be detectable.

Impulse radar testing of masonry structures can be

used to identify: D.3.7 CONDITIONS OF TESTING
- voids
cracks of a planar nature
-

Tests will be conducted under ambient conditions,

- wall thickness however the work should not be carried out in heavy
structural composition
-

rain or other conditions as these will cause, severely

- relative quality of the masonry erroneous results. Severe water ingression will signifi-
- capillary rise cantly affect the results of a radar survey and saturated
- relative moisture content walls may cause such high attenuation that the returned
- zones of salt content / contamination. signal is lost in the noise.
Some typical examples of such applications are
described in [1, 2].
D.3.8 APPARATUS
D.3.5 TEST LOCATIONS The impulse radar system comprises a number of
components:
Test locations are dictated by engineering objectives, - a radar pulse generator of varying pulse repetition rate;
however an attempt should be made to measure the vari- - an appropriate centre frequency antenna;
ation in material quality or condition throughout the - appropriate data recording system - either digital on
structure. Due to the rapid pulse repetition rate of radar tape or hard disk or analogue on paper.
(50 kHz) the structure can be tested rapidly. It is normal
to test the structure in cross sections by scanning either
longitudinally or vertically. Thus a series of traverses D.3.9 PROCEDURE
(horizontal of vertical) should be marked out for investi-
gation - usually on a 1 metre or similar grid. Prior to The experimental procedure, will involve marking
this, a quick survey of material uniformity may indicate out the masonry in traverses either horizontally or verti-
that certain areas are of greater interest than others. cally. The dimensions should be taken with considerable
Generally, a significant length of traverse, at least 5 accuracy in order to enable subsequent mapping to be
metres, will be required in order to obtain an adequate undertaken. A typical grid will be at l m intervals.
basis for comparison of the data. The choice of antenna centre frequency depends
upon the depth of penetration and the type of material
to be tested and the test methodology - that is whether it
is reflection mode or transmission mode:

132
TC 127-MS

Reflection mode:
- A 1 or 1.2 GHz antenna may be used for thin panel
reinforced brick masonry particularly when attempting
to identify reinforcing bars.
- For double skin masonry it may be necessary to use a
higher power 900 MHz antenna.
- For the investigation of stone masonry it may be nec-
essary to use lower frequency as low as 100 M H z in
order to obtain credible data.
Depth to a target is calcuhted from d -- (velocity x [time
to reflection])/2 [units = metres] (but remember that in
multihyer structures this calculation can get quite complex
as the velocity is dependent on the dielectric constant).

Transmissionmode:
- a 500 M H z antenna may be used for transmissions
over short distances.
- a 100 MHz antenna is more appropriate for transmis-
sions over longer distances. Fig. la - Masonry arch bridge: section through bridge showing
The average velocity may be determined directly single rectangular void in homogeneousdensegranular soil fill.
from the transmission tests where the antenna separation
is known:
velocity = [distance travelled]/[time of flight] [units =
cm/nsl.
From the velocity, the average dielectric constant (er)
of the material may be computed:
er = ( c / v ) 2
where, c = speed of light (a constant) and v = velocity (mea-
sured).
The problem with older lower quality masonry is
that in electrical terms it is "lossy'. The many problems
of antenna choice, together with solutions are discussed
elsewhere [3, 4].
The specific settings for the radar system should be
undertaken in accordance with the manufacturer' s
handbooks.

Fig. lb - Masonry arch bridge: Line scan (redrawn for clarity) of

D.3.10 TEST RESULTS bridge with voided fill.

The data may be expressed as the time to reflection

from a "target"; or the depth of penetration of the radar;
or velocity; or average dielectric constant. The data may
be displayed in three different formats:
Grey scale line-scan: this is the most common form of
display. The printout looks like a fax roll.
Colour line-scan: this can be used to highlight certain
features.
Single wiggle-plot: this can be used to enable detail
examination of a single radar pulse in order to examine
one single feature.
Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate radar representational outputs.

D.3.11 TEST REPORT

1. A reference to this RILEM Standard
2. The date of the test
3. Description of the testing conditions, e.g., site, geo- Fig. lc - Masonry arch bridge: Wiggle plot of bridge with voided fill.

133
Materials and Structures/Mat~.riaux et Constructions, Vol. 34, April 2001

or using the WARR technique (wide angle reflection

and refraction).
The time reflection technique can be used very
effectively to identify capillary rise in buildings - where
the moisture content increases the velocity of propaga-
tion of the radar wave will reduce and it will take longer
to reach the rear face - Fig. 2. This gives a very clear
result as shown in [8].
If a cross-sectional image of the structure is required
then complex cross-shooting of the radar impulses will
be required [9].
The dielectric constant can be used as a measure of
moisture content in the case of masonry arch bridges
where the structure is back-filled with granular soil such
as sand:
er = dielectric constant = 4 for dry sand, back-filled bridge
Fig. 2 - Radar line scan showing capillary rise in masonry. er -- dielectric constant = 20 for wet sand, back-fdled bridge.
Thus impulse radar transmission tests can be seen as a
powerful investigative tool for masonry structures bridges.
graphical location, environmental conditions, temperature,
building identification, date of construction (if available),
and name of the technician conducting the test. Include
details of the type and quality of construction. D.3.13 REFERENCES
4. Type and model of equipment used including date
of most recent calibration. [1] Colla, C., Forde, M. C., McCann, D. M. and Das, P. C.,
5. Identity and description of the specific test loca- 'Investigation of masonry arch bridges using non-contacting
tions on the structure, including a diagram of the struc- NDT', Proc. 6th Int. Conf. Structural Faults and Repair-95,
tural element tested, adjacent masonry, and all relevant London, July 1995, Vol I, Engineering Technics Press, 235- 239.
[2] Colla, C., Das, P. C., McCann, D. M. and Forde, M. C.,
dimensions. 'Investigation of stone masonry bridges using sonics, electromag-
6. Test results compiled in the form of chart recorder netics and impulse radar', Proc. Intnl. Symp. Non-Destructive
print-out; full colour ink-jet plot, 3-D interpretive Testing in Civil Engineering (NDT-CE), BAM, Berlin,
model, 2-D interpretive model; other tabulation as Germany, September 1995, Vol I, 629-636.
appropriate. I3] Padaratz, L.J. and For&, M. C., 'Influence of antenna frequency
on impulse radar surveys of concrete structures', Proc. Int. Conf.
7. Results from any companion destructive or in-situ Structural Faults and Repair-95, London, July 1995, Vol. 2,
tests which were conducted for calibration purposes. Engineering Technics Press, 331-336.
[4] Padaratz, L. J. and Forde, M. C., 'A theoretical evaluation of
impulse radar wave propagation through concrete',J. Non-destruc-
D.3.12 INTERPRETATION OF TEST RESULTS tive Testingand Evaluation 12 (1995) 9-32.
[5] McCavitt, N. and Forde, M. C., 'Numerical simulation of
impulse radar through masonry', Proc. Int. Conf. Structural
The electromagnetic radar signal will transmit Faults and Repair-93, University of Edinburgh, June 1993, Vol.
through non-conductive media at high speed, but will 3, Engineering Technics Press, 289-296.
have very limited or zero penetration through conduc- [6] For&, M C. and McCavitt, N., 'Impulse radar testing of structures',
tors. For example radar will not penetrate through met- Proc. Instn Civ Engrs Strum and Bldgs, 99, Feb. 1993, 96-99.
[71 Fairfield, C. A., Sibbald, A. and Forde, M. C., 'Radar measure-
als, nor will it penetrate through sea water. However, ments of density variations around an arch bridge', Br. J. NDT,
excellent reflections will be achieved from conductors. Nov 1995.
If one is looking for layer changes in masonry struc- [8] Binda, L., Colla, C. and Forde, M. C., 'Identification of moisture
tures, then a grey scale or suitably chosen set of colour capillarity in masonry using digital impulse radar',J. Construction
scales might be appropriate in order to identify the time and Building Materials 8 (2) (1994) 101-107.
[9] Schuller, M., Berra, M., Atkinson, k. and Binda, L., 'Acoustic
to reflection [5-7] - Fig. 1. This can be converted to tomography for evaluation of unreinforced masonry', Proc. Int.
depth if the dielectric constant is known - the latter can Conf. Structural Faults and Repair-95, London, July 1995, Vol.
be calculated using the transmission test described above 3, Engineering Technics Press, 195-200.

134