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FPA-SC-02-0

Issued for Website Publication

Test Methods for Evaluating Existing Foundations


Foundation Performance Association - Structural Committee

29 November 2010
Page 25 of 76

7. Many factors could affect the results of this method such as concrete resistivity, temperature,
carbonation, oxygen content, type of steel, presence of coating, and degree of water
saturation (moisture content).
8. Accuracy decreases with depth of steel reinforcement.
Relative Cost
Purchase: $$
Additional Resources
ASTM C876 Standard Test Method for Half-Cell Potentials of Uncoated Reinforcing Steel in
Concrete
2.10 HAMMER SOUNDING
General Description and Applications
Hammer Sounding (Figure 2.10.1) consists of striking the bare surface of a concrete foundation
with a hammer in order to evaluate the presence of delamination and voids. Variations of the
sound from the hammer striking the concrete surface are used to qualitatively determine the
possible presence of delamination and voids in concrete. Typically hammer sounding is used to
delineate the boundaries of delamination and voids in a concrete slab-on-ground.

Figure 2.10.1 Hammer Sounding Test on a Concrete Slab

FPA-SC-02-0
Issued for Website Publication

Test Methods for Evaluating Existing Foundations


Foundation Performance Association - Structural Committee

29 November 2010
Page 26 of 76

Some Considerations
1. The equipment is easy to use and portable.
2. Different size hammers could be used to investigate different depths of delamination.
3. The test is not efficient to survey large areas.
4. The results may need to be verified with other methods.
5. The results do not provide quantitative data, so the depth of defects is unknown.
6. The test is relatively inexpensive, does not require special equipment or specific equipment
training, and is non-invasive.
Relative Cost
Purchase: $
Additional Resources
NACE Publication 6G191 (withdrawn), Surface Preparation of Contaminated Concrete for
Corrosion Control
2.11 IMPACT ECHO
General Description
The Impact-Echo (IE) method involves introducing mechanical energy, in the form of a brief
impact, to the structure. When a material, such as concrete, is subject to a surface impact, stress
waves propagate through the material at a finite speed. The velocity of these waves is a
characteristic of the material through which the waves propagate. Typically, the higher the
velocity the more dense the concrete.
In isotropic solids, elastic theory indicates propagation of three types of waves: primary or Pwaves, secondary or S-waves (shear waves), and surface or R-waves (Raleigh waves). The Pwaves are those in which particle motion is parallel to the direction of impact. S-waves are those
in which particle motion is normal to the direction of impact. The R-waves propagate along the
free surface of the material and decay exponentially with depth from the surface.
When a concrete surface is impacted, a transducer acoustically mounted on the same surface
receives the primary or P-wave energy reflections from discontinuities within the panel.
Therefore, with the knowledge of the propagation velocity through the material, the amplitude
spectrum can be evaluated to determine the location of discontinuity or flaws within the
concrete.

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