FEM-based simulation tools for ultrasonic concrete inspection

Special Issue of e-Journal of Nondestructive Testing (eJNDT) Vol. 27(9) Session: Modeling and Simulation 2; International audience; The simulation of nondestructive evaluation is a useful tool in the design of inspection procedure or the interpretation of results. In the case of the ultrasonic inspection of concrete, modeling the complex interaction of ultrasonic waves with the heterogeneous material is challenging. A finite element code for the simulation of ultrasonic inspections is developed in the CIVA software platform. It is the kernel of a new simulation module dedicated to concrete in a custom version of CIVA. This module relies on automated meshing managed through a user-friendly interface and offers comparatively fast numerical computations. Its aims at modeling practical concrete inspection configurations, involving for example distributions of aggregates, voids and metallic objects. In this communication, we present these modelling efforts and focus on configurations of interests and evaluation of the modelling performances performed in a recent collaboration between CEA and EDF.