Method and device for measuring corrosion metal loss
AssigneeSouthwest Research Institute
InventorsHegeon Kwun, Ronald H. Peterson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and system for detecting corrosion metal loss. One may provide a guided wave probe that includes an electromechanical device and a corrosion probe. This may be followed by measuring a baseline guided wave attenuation value of the corrosion probe with no corrosion. One may then periodically measure the guided wave attenuation of the corrosion probe and detect an increase in guided wave attenuation values and identify metal corrosion associated with the increase in guided wave attenuation values. This may then be followed by estimating the corrosion metal loss of the metallic component.
Claims27
A method of measuring corrosion loss of a metallic component embedded in concrete, comprising:
- (a) providing a guided wave probe that includes an electromechanical device coupled to a corrosion probe, said corrosion probe being embedded in said concrete and separate from said metallic component,
- (b) measuring a baseline guided wave attenuation value of said corrosion probe with no corrosion;
- (c) periodically measuring a subsequent guided wave attenuation value of said corrosion probe and calculating an increase in guided wave attenuation value of said subsequent guided wave attenuation value in relation to said baseline guided wave attenuation value and identifying metal corrosion of said corrosion probe associated with said increase in guided wave attenuation value;
- and
- (d) estimating the corrosion metal loss of said embedded metallic component based on step (c).
A system for the indirect measurement of corrosion of a metallic component, the system comprising:
- a guided wave probe that includes an electromechanical device generating mechanical stress waves coupled to a corrosion probe embedded in concrete containing the metallic component, wherein said guided wave probe:
- (a) generates mechanical stress waves in said corrosion probe and detects reflected mechanical stress waves from said corrosion probe;
- (b) provides a baseline guided wave attenuation value of said corrosion probe with no corrosion;
- and
- (c) periodically detects a subsequent guided wave attenuation value of said corrosion probe and calculates an increase in guided wave attenuation value including metal corrosion associated with said increase in guided wave attenuation;
- and
- a data recording device for storing the baseline and subsequent guided wave attenuation value;
- and
- a processor programmed to calculate the increase in the attenuation value between the baseline and the subsequent guided wave attenuation value and estimating the corrosion metal loss of said metallic component from said increase in guided wave attenuation value and metal corrosion of said corrosion probe.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.