Developing non-destructive methods (NDT) that can deliver faster and more accurate results is an objective pursued by many researchers. The purpose of this paper is to present a new approach in predicting the concrete compressive strength through means of ultrasonic testing for non-destructive determination of the dynamic and static modulus of elasticity. For this study, the dynamic Poisson’s coefficient was assigned values provided by technical literature. Using ultra-sonic pulse velocity (UPV) the apparent density and the dynamic modulus of elasticity were determined. The viability of the theoretical approach proposed by Salman, used for the air-dry density determination (predicted density), was experimentally confirmed (measured density). The calculated accuracy of the Salman method ranged between 98 and 99% for all the four groups of specimens used in the study. Furthermore, the static modulus of elasticity was deducted through a linear relationship between the two moduli of elasticity. Finally, the concrete compressive strength was mathematically determined by using the previously mentioned parameters. The accuracy of the proposed method for concrete compressive strength assessment ranged between 92 and 94%. The precision was established with respect to the destructive testing of concrete cores. For this research, the experimental part was performed on concrete cores extracted from different elements of different structures and divided into four distinct groups. The high rate of accuracy in predicting the concrete compressive strength, provided by this study, exceeds 90% with respect to the reference, and makes this method suitable for further investigations related to both the optimization of the procedure and = the domain of applicability (in terms of structural aspects and concrete mix design, environmental conditions, etc.).

Developing non-destructive methods (NDT) that can deliver faster and more accurate results is an objective pursued by many researchers. The purpose of this paper is to present a new approach in predicting the concrete compressive strength through means of ultrasonic testing for non-destructive determination of the dynamic and static modulus of elasticity. For this study, the dynamic Poisson's coefficient was assigned values provided by technical literature. Using ultra-sonic pulse velocity (UPV) the apparent density and the dynamic modulus of elasticity were determined. The viability of the theoretical approach proposed by Salman, used for the air-dry density determination (predicted density), was experimentally confirmed (measured density). The calculated accuracy of the Salman method ranged between 98 and 99% for all the four groups of specimens used in the study. Furthermore, the static modulus of elasticity was deducted through a linear relationship between the two moduli of elasticity. Finally, the concrete compressive strength was mathematically determined by using the previously mentioned parameters. The accuracy of the proposed method for concrete compressive strength assessment ranged between 92 and 94%. The precision was established with respect to the destructive testing of concrete cores. For this research, the experimental part was performed on concrete cores extracted from different elements of different structures and divided into four distinct groups. The high rate of accuracy in predicting the concrete compressive strength, provided by this study, exceeds 90% with respect to the reference, and makes this method suitable for further investigations related to both the optimization of the procedure and = the domain of applicability (in terms of structural aspects and concrete mix design, environmental conditions, etc.).

In the evaluation of an existing reinforced concrete structure, a fundamental issue is determining the concrete compressive strength as accurately as possible. This process can be conducted by using destructive and non-destructive methods. The destructive method presumes a limited number of cores extracted from the concrete structure. A higher number of cores would affect the structural safety and is time and resource consuming. Therefore, the conclusions drawn using exclusively this method can also generate errors in correctly estimating the load bearing capacity of a structure, thus leading to the possibility of implementing deficient measures in order to ensure a structural safety. Data obtained via non-destructive methods are more comprehensive. Due to their non-destructive nature, there are no limitations regarding the number of elements investigated and are fast in delivering results. One of the main concerns of researchers in this field is developing a direct relationship between the measured indicators through non-destructive testing (NDT) methods and concrete compressive strength. Over the years different equations with different mathematical structure (linear, polynomial, power, exponential and logarithmic) were developed with the main purpose of delivering fast and accurate results concerning concrete compressive strength by the means of NDT. The aim of this paper is to validate some of the most important prediction models using an original set of data. The database consists in a number of 96 concrete cores that were subjected to Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) and Schmidt Rebound Hammer (SRH) testing. The accuracy of the results was determined by using two statistical parameters the mean absolute error (MAE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). The proposed equations have been analyzed in terms of prediction and dispersion of values. It was noticed that some of the formulations predict values that are higher than the ones obtained destructively, others provide a larger dissipation of values, while some equations deliver a compact distribution of results with higher rate in terms of accuracy. This study proposes a data validation of some of the most popular empirical equations, used for the estimation of the concrete compressive strength, elaborated through the years, using a new set of data.

Developing a non-destructive method which delivers fast, accurate and non-invasive results regarding the concrete compressive strength, is an important issue, currently investigated by many researchers all over the world. Different methodologies, like using the simple non-destructive testing (NDT) or the fusion of different techniques approach, were taken into consideration in order to find the optimal, most suitable method. The purpose of this paper is to present a new approach in this direction. The methodology consists in predicting the concrete compressive strength through ultrasonic testing, for non-destructive determination of the dynamic and static moduli of elasticity. One important, basic assumption of the proposed methodology considers values provided by technical literature for concrete dynamic Poisson’s coefficient. The air-dry density was experimentally determined on concrete cores. The dynamic modulus of elasticity was also experimentally determined by using the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) method on concrete cores. Further on, the static modulus of elasticity and the concrete compressive strength can be mathematically calculated, by using the previously mentioned parameters. The experimental procedures were performed on concrete specimens, namely concrete cores extracted from the raft foundation of a multistorey building; initially they were subjected to the specific NDT, namely ultrasonic testing, and the validation of the results and the proposed methodology derives from the destructive testing of the specimens. The destructive testing is generally recognized as the most trustable method. The precision of the proposed method, established with respect to the destructive testing, revealed a high level of confidence, exceeding 90% (as mean value). It was noticed that even the cores with compressive strength outside of mean range interval (minimum and maximum values) presented high rate of precision, not influencing the overall result. The high rate of accuracy makes this method a suitable research background for further investigations, in order to establish a reliable NDT methodology which could substitute the very invasive and less convenient, destructive method.