Development of an automated hammer testing system for concrete structures

Abstract

To assess the concrete structures, regular measurements are taken and results recorded by manual hammering tests. However, manual testing is a tedious process and prone to subjective errors. This study therefore proposes a mobile, automated hammering inspection system for concrete structures. It can provide objective and realistic data quickly. The system consists of a moving hammer module and a damage detection module. Firstly, the hammering module uses a coil to ensure that each hammering produces the same force to ensure its stability and that the final result is realistic and reliable. The hammering module is then mounted on the robot arm and the hammering path is automatically planned with the assistance of the robot. In addition, a kinematic solution is applied to obtain more valid and objective acoustic data on the hammering. Finally, the system was validated by laboratory and field tests.