Magnetic anisotropy quantification in steel fiber reinforced materials

• Published in: NDT & E international : independent nondestructive testing and evaluation 2024-01, Vol.141, p.102995, Article 102995
• Main Authors: Alabi, D.J., Skarlatos, A., Riding, K.A., Reboud, C., Harley, J.B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemical Sciences; Civil Engineering; Computer Science; Electromagnetism; Engineering Sciences; Material chemistry; Modeling and Simulation
• ISSN: 0963-8695; 1879-1174
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ndteint.2023.102995

Fiber reinforced composites have grown in popularity over last few decades. Among these, steel fiber reinforced materials such as ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) have begun use in the construction industry. Such materials provide an advantage over conventional fabrication techniques due to higher compressive, flexural, and tensile strengths. Yet, one challenge with fiber reinforcement is presence of unintended alignment during fabrication, which may deviate the material's strength from its intended design. This anisotropy needs to be nondestructively quantified to validate the material design post-fabrication. While electromagnetic nondestructive testing sensors have been demonstrated for quantifying the characteristics of ferromagnetic fibers in a material, there has not been a robust study on quantifying anisotropy with such systems. In this work, we provide the fundamental theory and process for quantifying anisotropy in steel fiber reinforced resins using electromagnetic sensors, with our data achieving a 95% goodness-of-fit with our theoretical model, on average.