Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe the Non-Destructive Testing(NDT) of the rockbolt and investigate the applicability of the NDT methods to estimate the integrity of the rockbolt. To examine the rockbolt integrity including rockbolt itself and grouting material, two methods are adopted: numerical and experimental methods. In the numerical method, the numerical code DISPERSE is used to analyze the dispersion of the rockbolt. The dispersion curve shows the effects of the thickness and stiffness of grouted materials on the embedded rockbolt. Therefore, the optimal frequency for the integrity test of the rockbolt is obtained: 20∼120kHz in L(1,0) mode. In the experimental methods, destructive and non-destructive tests are carried out in a laboratory. In the non-destructive test, the low frequency mode generated by an impact and the high frequency mode generated by an ultrasonic transducer seem to characterize the rockbolt condition readily. The experimental results show that the guided waves attenuate more significantly when the stiffness of the grouted material increases and/or the zone of the defect increases. Meanwhile, the ultimate capacity of rockbolt was evaluated through the pull-out tests and is compared to the NDT results. This study demonstrates that the NDT is a valuable tool for the rockbolt integrity evaluation.