Ultrasonic stress measurements in prestressing tendons

The goal of this research was to examine ultrasonic stress measurement techniques for the condition assessment of prestressing tendons. Acoustoelastic measurements were made in prestressing rods and strands, and constants are reported that relate the change in ultrasonic velocity to the change in stress. The effects of dispersion in prestressing tendons, which act as circular wave guides for ultrasonic waves, were measured and evaluated. For this research, narrow-band, noncontact Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers (EMATs) were designed to launch and receive ultrasonic waves propagating within the tendons.