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Impact Echo via Portable Impact-Echo System (PIES)

PIES Portable Impact Echo System Leaflet (PDF - 874 KB)

PIES Portable Impact Echo System Detail (PDF - 3 Mb)

PIES, our revolutionary Portable Impact-Echo System is an advanced instrument for non-destructive detection of flaws and defects in a variety of civil infrastructures ranging from bridges, parking structures and buildings to dams, piles, tunnels, tanks and marine structures.

Capable of inspecting coarse-grain based materials including concrete, masonry and grout, PIES is able to successfully detect flaws such as delaminations, honeycombing, and voids. Not only does it meet and exceed with ASTM C1383, PIES is capable of measuring through sections as thick as 10m (30ft) or as thin as 0.05m (2in). PIES can estimate the uniaxial compressive strength, static and dynamic elastic moduli and Poisson’s ratio of concrete samples.

PIES Impact Echo System can determine the degree of micro-cracking in concrete elements and structures at early stages, preventing the extension of damage caused by AAR, freeze-and-thaw or various chemical and environmental attacks. Controlled by an iPAQ Pocket PC, which allows for its light weight and ease of use, the standard PIES kit also includes two Piezo-electric sensors, steel impactors, two-channel portable digitizer and Windows compatible software capable of graphing, calculations and presenting for report creation.

PIES Portable Impact Echo System offers unparalleled ease of use to test structures using sonic stress waves. The operator taps the surface of the material under test to create a stress wave, while holding the receiving transducer against the surface. The equipment responds to the waves generated and within a second, calculates the distance travelled and hence the thickness of the material.

Each test is normally taken in a grid pattern which can subsequently be analyzed to highlight the presence of any anomalies.

Product Innovations of Portable Impact Echo System:

1) First implementation of integrated impact echo technique in a single low cost portable system complying with ASTM C1383.

2) First implementation of a practical electronically triggered multi impact head stress wave generator with force and frequency controlled

3) Development of mathematical algorithms for determination of the length of surface opening cracks.

4) Development of broadband (up to 100 kHz) piezo-electric transducers within special casings for various applications that could be applied for the impact echo technique, which do not require coupling and can be placed on any type of surface.

5) Design and develop a new digitizer that is small, low cost and performs signal digitization at 1 G samples / sec rate. This would be the only signal digitizer that can fit into a laptop or attached to a palmtop computer.

6) First Impact-Echo instrument that will measure up to 9 meters thickness of concrete and coarse grained structures using elastic wave echo principles. Today’s systems are limited to 1 meter.

Link http://www.qualitest-inc.com/impact-echo.htm

Allied Associates
Concept House, 8 The Townsend Centre, Blackburn Road,
Dunstable, Bedfordshire, ENGLAND, LU5 5BQ
Telephone: +44 (0) 1582 606 999
Facsimile: +44 (0) 1582 606 991