Numerical simulation of the acoustic characteristics of internal defects in heterogeneous concrete

Lu, Zhibing; Xiang, Shaojie; Zhang, Ziyang; Xu, Guozheng; Zhang, Yalin; Li, Yutao; Liu, Hong

doi:10.22059/ceij.2025.395858.2324

Numerical simulation of the acoustic characteristics of internal defects in heterogeneous concrete

Articles in Press

Authors

China Energy Construction Group Co., Ltd.

10.22059/ceij.2025.395858.2324

Abstract

A numerical model of heterogeneous concrete with randomly distributed aggregates is established based on phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) with full-matrix capture (FMC) imaging. Using this model, the effects of individual defect characteristics parameters (depth, size, and orientation) and multi-defect interactions on acoustic fields are systematically analyzed. The results show that increasing defect depth markedly degrades imaging quality due to cumulative attenuation, and a minimum detectable void diameter of 40 mm is identified. When the crack angle beyond 45° or the crack length shorter than 20 mm, no signal can be observed. Under multi-defect conditions, close spacing (≤50 mm) results in overlapping signals and localization errors due to interference between signals, whereas sufficient spacing produces clear and distinct defect images.The smaller the angle between the two defects and the vertical direction, the easier the separation of the two signals.These findings provide effective technical support for extending array ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation to concrete structures with complex internal defects.

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