Inspection of reinforced concrete samples by Compton backscattering technique

Abstract Reinforced concrete structures require frequent monitoring to ensure the concrete quality during its service life and for evaluation of in situ existing conditions. Compton backscattering of gamma rays is a nondestructive technique used for material characterization and detection of defects and inclusions in materials and can be employed on reinforced concrete. The methodology allows one-sided inspection of large structures, is relatively inexpensive and can be portable. The concept is based on detection of backscattered radiation produced from a collimated beam aimed at the sample. By measuring the spectrum of these scattered gamma rays it is possible to determine local density perturbations. In this work we used the Compton backscattering technique to locate and measure steel, defects and crushed stone inside concrete. The samples were irradiated with gamma rays from a O2 mm diameter collimated 241 Am (100 mCi) source and the inelastically scattered photons were recorded at an angle of 135° by a high resolution CdTe semiconductor detector. Scanning was achieved by lateral movement of the sample blocks across the source and detector field of view in steps of 1 mm. A previous optimization of the experimental setup was performed with Monte Carlo simulation. The results showed that it was possible to locate inclusions and defects with O8 mm positioned at a depth of 20 mm below the surface of the sample. It was observed that aggregates such as crushed stone could mask defects at specific points due to high attenuation of the incident and scattered beam.