Radiographic Inspection of Gusset-Plate Connections

completed

The project needs to evaluate existing radiographic inspection technologies and post-processing for inspection of gusset-plated truss connections. The project would have to evaluate and recommend techniques needed to produce effective images through multiple gusset plates, and then demonstrate the ability to determine where different density changes (i.e., corrosion loss) exist. This would include recommendations for radiation intensity, required number of images, required standoff distances, etc. Finally, the technique should be deployable without the need to shut down traffic for radiation concerns if at all possible. This project will run in parallel with the National Cooperative Highway Research Program project (NCHRP 12-84) research and use two of those research specimens on which to test the technique.