Xiaowei Dai with Nestor Chonillo of James Instruments, and Dr. Jinying Zhu
Xiaowei Dai, a doctoral student in the structural engineering program, is the winner of the ACI-James Instruments Student Award for Research on NDT of Concrete.
The award is to recognize meritorious and innovative research in concrete and concrete materials using NDT methods, and to publicize the field of NDT and the work of ACI Committee 228. The original paper must be authored by the student and address innovative approaches or concepts applied to nondestructive testing of concrete. The selection committee is composed of engineering practitioners, researchers and educators in ACI committee 228 who make the selection based on the originality of the research, potential impact on application of NDT on concrete structures.
The selection committee is composed of engineering practitioners, researchers and educators in ACI committee 228 who make the selection based on the originality of the research, potential impact on application of NDT on concrete structures.
The title of Xiaowei's paper was: "USE OF PARABOLIC REFLECTORS IN AIR-COUPLED IMPACT-ECHO TEST". In air-coupled impact-echo (ACIE) tests, the air-coupled sensor (microphone) is susceptible to ambient noises which complicate in-situ ACIE measurements. Improvement of ACIE measurements is achieved by installing a standard measurement microphone at the focal point of a parabolic reflector. The reflector focuses in-air impact-echo waves and therefore increases the signal to noise ratio. Experimental results from a concrete slab validate the feasibility of the proposed method.
The award includes an engraved certificate provided by ACI Headquarters, and a cash prize of $ 1200. The funding for the award is sponsored by James Instruments, Inc., a Chicago-based manufacturer and distributor of NDT systems, and it was given by ACI Committee 228, Nondestructive Testing, at the ACI Spring 2012 convention in Dallas, Texas.
Xiaowei is in his second year of PHD study under the supervision of Dr. Jinying Zhu.