Device for evaluating integrity of underground structure by using electromagnetic wave

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12509844-B2
Application number	US-202218576987-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 13, 2022
Priority date	Jul 14, 2021
Publication date	Dec 30, 2025
Grant date	Dec 30, 2025

Abstract

A device for evaluating integrity of an underground structure by using electromagnetic waves includes a plurality of main reinforcing bars arranged in a vertical direction in an underground structure, a plurality of measurement cables extending vertically to be adjacent to the main reinforcing bars, respectively, at least one impedance change unit which is provided on each of the measurement cables, is electrically connected to the measurement cable, and has a characteristic impedance different from a characteristic impedance of the measurement cable, and an electromagnetic wave measurement unit for detecting a change point of a characteristic impedance as a defect point of the underground structure by providing an electromagnetic wave by using, as a signal transmission line, one of the plurality of measurement cables and one of the plurality of main reinforcing bars, or one pair of measurement cables selected from the plurality of measurement cables.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A device for evaluating integrity of an underground structure by using electromagnetic waves, the device comprising:
a plurality of main reinforcing bars arranged in a vertical direction in an underground structure; a plurality of measurement cables extending in the vertical direction to be adjacent to the main reinforcing bars, respectively; at least one impedance change unit which is provided on each of the measurement cables, is electrically connected to the measurement cable, and has a characteristic impedance different from a characteristic impedance of the measurement cable; and an electromagnetic wave measurement unit for detecting a change point of a characteristic impedance as a defect point of the underground structure by providing an electromagnetic wave by using, as a signal transmission line, one of the plurality of measurement cables and one of the plurality of main reinforcing bars, or one pair of measurement cables selected from the plurality of measurement cables, wherein the electromagnetic wave measurement unit determines a defect position in the vertical direction of the defect point by using, as a reference point, a point at which a characteristic impedance is changed by the impedance change unit.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein each of the measurement cables has at least two unit cables, and
the impedance change unit comprises a first connector installed on an end of one unit cable of the unit cables, and a second connector installed on an end of one remaining unit cable of the unit cables, which is connected to the one unit cable, with the second connector being configured to electrically connect the one unit cable and the one remaining unit cable to each other through coupling of the second connector with the first connector.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the underground structure is buried inside a seabed through seawater or freshwater, and
the electromagnetic wave measurement unit determines a boundary surface between a water section of the seawater or freshwater and a soil section under the seabed by using difference in a characteristic impedance between the water section and the soil section, and determines whether there is scour and a degree of scour on the boundary surface according to a change of the boundary surface on a basis of the reference point.

4 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of tie bars which surrounds an outside of the plurality of main reinforcing bars in a circumferential direction and is spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction.

5 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the underground structure comprises a plurality of unit steel cages disposed in the vertical direction and concrete poured into the plurality of unit steel cages,
wherein each of the unit steel cages comprises a plurality of unit main reinforcing bars disposed in the vertical direction in the underground structure, a plurality of unit tie bars which surrounds an outside of the plurality of unit main reinforcing bars in the circumferential direction and is spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, and a plurality of unit cables extending in the vertical direction to be adjacent to the unit main reinforcing bars, respectively, wherein the unit main reinforcing bars at corresponding positions of the unit steel cages neighboring in the vertical direction are connected to each other to constitute the main reinforcing bar; the plurality of unit tie bars constitutes the tie bar; the impedance change unit electrically connects the unit cables at corresponding positions of the unit steel cages neighboring in the vertical direction; and the plurality of unit cables connected to each other in the vertical direction constitutes the one measurement cable.

6 . The device of claim 5 , wherein the electromagnetic wave measurement unit measures a round-trip travel time of an electromagnetic wave, which is provided through the signal transmission line, reflected and returned from a point at which a characteristic impedance changes and detects the change point of the characteristic impedance.

7 . The device of claim 6 , wherein the measurement cable is installed inside or outside the tie bar, or both inside and outside the tie bar relative to the circumferential direction.

8 . The device of claim 7 , wherein a combination of the measurement cable and the main reinforcing bar disposed inside or outside the tie bar, or a combination of the measurement cable disposed inside the tie bar and the measurement cable disposed outside the tie bar constitutes the signal transmission line.

9 . The device of claim 7 , wherein the measurement cable and the main reinforcing bar or the measurement cables facing each other relative to a center of a circumference of the underground structure constitute the signal transmission line so that integrity inside the underground structure is evaluated.

Assignees

• Univ Korea Res & Bus Found
• Dl Construction Co
• Seoyoung Eng Co Ltd
• Backyoung G&C Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Jong-Sub
• Yu Jung-Doung
• Jeong Seok-Gyu
• Lee Dong-Soo

Classifications

• G01V3/12

  operating with electromagnetic waves {(operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005)} · CPC title

• G01R27/16 Primary

  Measuring impedance of element or network through which a current is passing from another source, e.g. cable, power line · CPC title

• E02D33/00 Primary

  Testing foundations or foundation structures (testing methods and apparatus, see the relevant subclasses of class G01; testing structures or apparatus as regards function, in general, G01M; testing or determining chemical or physical properties, in general G01N) · CPC title

• G01N33/38

  Concrete; Lime; Mortar; Gypsum; Bricks; Ceramics; Glass · CPC title

• G01N29/09

  by measuring mechanical or acoustic impedance · CPC title