Toward Continuous Monitoring of Concrete Health Via PVDF Receiver

Concrete structures, vital for modern infrastructure, face degradation due to environmental factors and aging, raising safety concerns in South Korea amidst economic challenges and regulatory pressures. Ultrasonic-based inspection methods, particularly ultrasonic tomography and pulse velocity methods have been effective for non-destructive evaluation. However, continuous monitoring remains difficult due to bulky transducers. This study explores the use of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-based ultrasonic transducers for concrete inspection. PVDF transducers, with smaller dimensions and a flat frequency response, enable detailed analysis of scattered ultrasound related to concrete quality. Experimental results demonstrate that PVDF transducers provide enhanced detection of non-linear ultrasound components, facilitating better assessment of concrete integrity.