The aim of the Tomography Portal "Gulliver" project is to use computed tomography to deepen the understanding of the load-bearing and deformation behaviour of concrete members under failure. For the first time, it enables investigations on real-scale building components subjected to load increase while performing high-resolution computed tomography scans. Funded by a Major Instrumentation Initiative promoted by the German Research Foundation (DFG), this tomography portal is a central component of the Civil Engineering Equipment Center (BIG) at the RPTU.
Project management: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Pahn
Application of the Computed Tomography in Structural Engineering
"Imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) enable interior screening of the object - not only for medical diagnosis in humans but also for x-ray materials. Currently, there are many applications in the field of structural engineering, which can be very informative for research and possibly even represent a milestone in basic research in material science..." Conference Paper
Towards automatic crack segmentation in 3d concrete images
"Concrete is one of the most commonly used construction materials. A deeper insight into its mechanical properties, in particular
cracking behaviour, can be gained from stress tests. Computed tomography captures the microstructure of building materials,
including crack initiation and propagation in a fully three-dimensional manner..." Conference Paper
The built-in X-ray technology enables the generation of two- and three-dimensional image data. As a result, crack formation and crack propagation can be detected and analysed locally and along shifted the longitudinal axis on both the surface and the interior of test specimens.
Radiation source
- Linear accelerator
Energy 9 MeV
Target material: Wolfram
Voxel size: < 1,5 µm
Detectors
- X-ray detector Xeye 5005HE
High-resolution scans for medium to large objects
Field of view: 500 x 90 mm²
Pixels: 10000 x 1900
Pixel size: 50 μm
- X-ray detector Varex 4343
High-resolution scans of small objects
Field of view: 400 x 400 mm²
Pixels: 3072 x 3072
Pixel size: 139 μm
- High-speed detector
Two-dimensional fast scan
Field of view: 300 x 150 mm²
Pixels: 1000 x 500
Pixel size: 300 μm
Maximum frame rate: 300 Hz
Loading capabilities
The load test bench enables static and dynamic loading on tension and compression in the transverse and longitudinal direction of the test specimen. The arrangement of supports can be customised and adjusted along the longitudinal direction of the specimen.
Static compressive force: 600 kN
Dynamic compressive force: +/- 300 kN
Tensile force, dynamic and static: +/- 300 kN
Radiation protection cover
The scanning operations take place in a test hall built by the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The building enables a wide range of computed tomography applications for different types of research activities, while ensuring high safety standards.
Crane runway: 2 x 12,5 t
50 t truck driveway: 4,5 m x 4,5 m
The tomography portal "Gulliver" is being developed by OHB Digital Connect GmbH in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institutes, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) and Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM).