9451777 Cluley Nondestructive testing (NDT) of aging steel and concrete structures for detecting deterioration and damage to constructed facilities has been introduced in a concrete testing laboratory. Students use information from NDT to determine the effects of aging on the resistive capacity of concrete structures by comparing analyses of concrete frames using the material properties as found by NDT with solutions which assume conventional design values for these same properties. Concrete specimens are also tested under loads through the service range to observe cracking and deflection, and up to the ultimate load capacity to observe ductile capacity and failure mode. The results of NDTs on these specimens help explain any discrepancies with resistive capacities calculated using ACI strength formulas. Testing is also conducted on steel specimens to determine stresses, column buckling loads, and lateral buckling of beams. The results are compared with AISC Code predictions and discrepancies are explained in light of test observations. The service load and ultimate load tests are conducted using an enhanced test setup which allows testing of full-scale specimens with the aid of automatic data acquisition equipment. The experiments in NDT also indicate how to determine where more rigorous maintenance procedures should be used, and provide information concerning the appropriateness of the various structural design codes. The laboratory features group learning by students and emphasizes oral and written communications.
