Innovative method used to evaluate the effect of power washing on marine concrete – a UK site study

At a study site on the north west coast of England, concrete revetment armour that has been power washed on a regular basis has been monitored for surface changes over three years. Three tests have been utilised. Replication was employed as a means of measuring surface roughness of the concrete surfaces and lays the foundation for the development of a new non-destructive testing (NDT) method for concrete surface analysis. Surface roughness doubled from S_a 12.29 μm, increasing to S_a 24.67 μm in three years. A Schmidt/rebound hammer test has also been used throughout the research to evaluate the surface hardness of the concrete, and has demonstrated a significant deterioration in the concrete surface after three years. Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) testing, used to measure the sound velocity of the concrete, has also implied degradation.