The application of an ultrasonic method for the estimation of concrete strength

Ultrasonic method is considered as an established tool for quality control of metallic materials. However, its application in nonmetallic materials, especially for concretes is not yet fully established. Investigations are still carried out to improve the reliability of this technique. This paper presents some of the results obtained from investigations on the correlation between ultrasonic propagation behaviour, namely pulse wave velocity, with the compressive strength of concretes. The results indicate that such a correlation exists. By applying an equation derived from other workers, it is indicated that ultrasonic pulse velocity measurement is capable of predicting the compressive strength of concrete with a reasonable degree of accuracy