Scope
FPrimeC was retained by AJW Engineering Ltd. (Client) to perform inspection and testing on concrete at Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON. Concrete elements under investigation two exterior concrete beams. At the time of inspection, cracking was observed on the surfaces of concrete beams (outside). The main objective of the project was visual inspection and non-destructive evaluation of concrete on or around the cracks; including map existing cracks, and measure width and depth of cracks.
Testing Methodology
A site visit and meeting with Client was performed to discuss the test areas and communicate project objectives. Following the preliminary site visit, a testing plan including (close-up) visual inspection of existing cracks, and non-destructive testing (NDT) on concrete beams was proposed.
1- Visual Inspection of Concrete Beams
The visual inspection involved arm-length inspection of cracks, and other potential surface defects. All major visible cracks and surface defects such as concrete delamination were marked for preparation of engineering drawings. A crack width gauge was used to determine the width of cracks at two locations along each crack (one at the top, and one at the bottom end). The cracks width and severity were determined according to the Ontario Structure Inspection Manual (OSIM, 2008) guidelines.
2- Non-Destructive Testing of Concrete Beams
Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) was used to estimate the depth of cracks over select cracks, wherever cracks were accessible. The selection criterion was based on the type, extent, severity of cracks (crack width) at each test area.