Advanced electromagnetic wave-based method for characterizing defects in cement-based structures using time domain reflectometry

This study presents novel electromagnetic wave-based methods for evaluating the integrity of cement-based structures using time domain reflectometry (TDR). Two cement-based plates with embedded rebars are prepared under sound and defective conditions. TDR tests are carried out using transmission lines with various numbers of artificial joints, and electromagnetic waves are measured to assess the integrity of the plates. The experimental results show that the travel time of electromagnetic waves is consistently longer in sound plates than in defective ones, and an increase in the reflection coefficients is observed in the defect zone of the defective plates. Electromagnetic wave velocities are higher in the defective plates, especially when connectors are present in the transmission line. A novel approach based on the area of the reflection coefficient provides larger areas in the defective plates, and the attenuation effect of the electromagnetic waves induces a difference in the areas of the reflection coefficient between the two defect conditions. An alternative method using the centroid of the defect zone slightly overestimates the location of the defect zone. The length of the defect zone is estimated using the defect ratio and wave velocities of cement, air, and plate. The length of the defect zone can also be calculated using the travel times within the plate, total measured length of the plate, and wave velocities in the cement and air. Therefore, the electromagnetic wave-based methods proposed in this study may be useful for estimating the location and length of defect zones by considering attenuation effects.