NDE data fusion to improve the evaluation of concrete structures

• Published in: NDT & E international : independent nondestructive testing and evaluation Vol. 44; no. 5; pp. 442 - 448
• Main Authors: Ploix, Marie-Aude, Garnier, Vincent, Breysse, Denys, Moysan, Joseph
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-09-2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acoustics; Applied sciences; Buildings. Public works; Concrete; Concrete structures; Confidence; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Data fusion; Data integration; Engineering Sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Indicators; Industrial metrology. Testing; Material characterization; Materials science; Materials testing; Measurements. Technique of testing; Mechanical engineering. Machine design; Mechanics; Modulus of elasticity; Nondestructive testing; Physics; Saturation; Material characterization; Data fusion; Concrete; Measurement; Probabilistic approach; In situ; Saturation; Compressive strength; Fuzzy set; Adaptive method; Possibility theory; Chlorides; Metrology; Material testing; Porosity; Reliability; Non destructive test
• ISSN: 0963-8695; 1879-1174
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ndteint.2011.04.006

A new data fusion application is presented, in the context of a national research project. This project aims to improve the evaluation of indicators or pathologies of
in situ concrete structures, combining measurements provided by various non-destructive evaluation techniques. The indicators of interest are: porosity rate, water saturation, modulus of elasticity, compressive strength, chloride content and carbonatization depth. Any non-destructive measurement will tend to provide an estimation of the unknown indicators, with a certain degree of confidence that is a function of its reliability and sensitivity to each of the indicators. When the estimations converge, data fusion improves the final confidence in the estimated values of these indicators. In case of disagreement, conflicts can be managed by specific operators. An adapted solution has been developed, based on the possibility theory and fuzzy sets. Application results are presented for two simultaneous evaluations of two pairs of indicators: water saturation and porosity rate, and water saturation and modulus of elasticity. These results show that the chosen adaptive operator, which is a function of reliability, is appropriate for this type of problem.