Application of the Computed Tomography in Structural Engineering
Imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) enable interior screening of the object - not only for medical diagnosis in humans but also for x-ray materials. Currently, there are many applications in the field of structural engineering, which can be very informative for research and possibly even represent a milestone in basic research in material science. Special attention is given to CT recordings of damage in concrete specimens. Here it is necessary to mention damages such as cracks or discontinuities like pores. However, the maximum sample size is limited, and the CT can only examine relatively small samples, there is planned a test procedure with the larger specimens. To be able to examine reinforced concrete samples non-destructively, a worldwide unique CT system is being built on the campus of the Technical University of Kaiserslautern. This system will enable the CT scan of specimens the size of six meters. In addition, the components can be stressed and even destroyed at the same time during the X-ray exposure. The three-dimensional recordings during the static or dynamic loads provide information about damage processes inside the specimen and the formation of cracks and structural changes that occur in the process. This article illustrates the application possibilities of computed tomographic image recordings in structural engineering on different materials. The experimental investigations are discussed with different possible research questions. Finally, the numerous examples are supplemented with their own experimental results.