DMRB CS 464 – Non-destructive testing of highway structures

Access free from the DMRB website. Also available from CIS.

This document contains the requirements related to the non destructive testing (NDT) of highways structures. Typical uses of NDT for highway structures are as follows:

1) gaining increased assurance as to the quality of new construction such as weld testing of steelwork;
2) gaining increased assurance as to the integrity of earlier construction where similar types of construction have been shown to be defective, such as detecting voids in post-tensioned concrete;
3) providing an indication of the possible internal structure of old bridges for assessment purposes, such as the structural form of masonry arches;
4) providing supplementary indications of the condition of structures which are showing signs of distress, such as the degree of contamination and corrosion of reinforced concrete bridges exposed to chloride attack; and, 5) recording acoustic emissions from bearings exhibiting cracking or excessive friction or from bedding to bearings undergoing cracking.

The expert interpretation of NDT results can be of assistance with structural appraisal.