Reinforced Concrete

New tool will give large concrete structures what amounts to an ultrasound, finding tiny cracks before they grow

A researcher measures the width of a crack in a reinforced concrete column after testing the strength of the column. A new project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency will develop a field-deployable tool to detect cracks far smaller than this — and inside rather than outside — thick reinforced concrete structures. (Photo: Chris Kiser)

Imagine giving large concrete structures something similar to an ultrasound and getting images so detailed you can see cracks just a tenth of a millimeter long. That level of detail just isn’t possible now. Yet such capability could revolutionize how engineers assess the health of thick reinforced concrete infrastructure like dams and power plants and bridges.

Thursday, May 23, 2019

New corrosion-resistant concrete reinforcement wins AASHTO Sweet 16 award for extending life of coastal bridges

A group of Georgia Tech and Georgia Department of Transportation researchers after they received an AASHTO Sweet Sixteen award from DOT Commissioner Russell McMurry Dec. 8. Their work on corrosion-resistant concrete piles for marine environments has been used on bridges in Georgia and is being tested for use in nearby states.

A leading standards-setting transportation organization has named a project by Georgia Tech and Georgia Department of Transportation researchers one of the year’s most valuable. The work developed a new steel to reinforce concrete bridge piles in marine environments that withstands corrosion and lasts well beyond the expected 100-year lifespan of the structures.

Friday, December 9, 2016

Experimental research writ large: Tim Wright built a whole building just to shake it apart

Tim Wright was about to abandon his Ph.D. studies. Then he discovered what he really loved to do, and that changed everything.

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

VIDEO: Retrofitting old buildings to make them earthquake safe

Through a grant provided by the National Science Foundation, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are testing retrofits that potentially can make very common reinforced-concrete buildings safer and more secure.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014
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School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
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Phone: 404-894-2201
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