Diagnosis of pathological manifestations in school buildings using ultrasonic testing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v15i5.51002Keywords:
Non-destructive testing, Ultrasonic pulse velocity, Concrete structures, Structural inspection, Public schools.Abstract
Assessing the integrity of concrete structures in public buildings is fundamental to ensuring user safety and the durability of constructions, especially in schools, which have high occupancy rates and often face limitations related to preventive maintenance. Non-destructive testing stands out as an efficient tool for structural diagnosis, as it allows for the evaluation of the internal conditions of concrete without causing damage to structural elements. The ultrasonic pulse velocity test makes it possible to estimate the homogeneity of the material and identify possible internal discontinuities. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the quality of concrete and identify pathological manifestations in structural elements of two public schools located in the municipality of Açailândia–MA: the Professor José Cesário Teaching Center and the Egídio Quintal Filho Municipal School. The methodology consisted of visual inspection combined with the application of ultrasonic tests on selected pillars of the buildings, using direct and indirect transmission methods, with multiple measurements per element, according to the recommendations of ABNT NBR 8802:2019. The results allowed for the classification of the concrete quality of the analyzed structures, indicating variations in wave propagation velocities associated with material heterogeneity and the presence of possible internal discontinuities. A correlation was also observed between regions with lower ultrasonic velocities and the occurrence of visible pathological manifestations, such as cracks and signs of moisture. It is concluded that ultrasonic testing is a suitable tool for the preliminary assessment of the structural integrity of school buildings, contributing to technical diagnosis and the planning of preventive maintenance actions.
References
Araújo, J. S. (2021). Patologias em edificações escolares: análise das manifestações e métodos de diagnóstico. Universidade Estadual do Maranhão.
Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas. (2019). NBR 8802: Concreto endurecido – Determinação da velocidade de propagação de onda ultrassônica. ABNT.
ASTM. (2021). ASTM C597-21: Standard test method for pulse velocity through concrete. ASTM International.
Espinosa, A. B., et al. (2023). Utility of ultrasonic pulse velocity for estimating the overall quality of concrete. Applied Sciences, 13.
Figueiredo, A. D. (2005). Concreto: ensino, pesquisa e realizações. IBRACON.
Gomide, T. L. F., Gullo, M. A., & Fagundes Neto, J. C. P. (2015). Inspeção predial total: diretrizes e metodologia da inspeção predial. Oficina de Textos.
Helene, P. (1992). Manual para reparo, reforço e proteção de estruturas de concreto. Pini.
Kim, W., et al. (2024). Statistical reliability analysis of ultrasonic pulse velocity method for concrete strength prediction. Materials, 17.
Lorenzi, L. S., et al. (2021). Monitoramento de estruturas de concreto armado por meio de ensaios ultrassônicos. Brazilian Journal of Development.
Lunetta, A. (2023). Métodos de pesquisa aplicados à engenharia civil. Blucher.
Malhotra, V. M., & Carino, N. J. (2004). Handbook on nondestructive testing of concrete (2nd ed.). CRC Press.
Mehta, P. K., & Monteiro, P. J. M. (2014). Concrete: Microstructure, properties, and materials (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Nazari, A. (2025). Prediction of ultrasonic pulse velocity and physicochemical behavior of concrete. Results in Materials, 21.
Nascimento Moura, A., et al. (2023). Manifestações patológicas em edificações escolares públicas. Revista Engenharia Civil.
Oliveira, E. C., Lucca, G., & Peres, M. V. (2022). Patologias em estruturas de concreto armado: causas e estratégias de prevenção. Revista IBRACON de Estruturas e Materiais, 15(4).
Pereira, A. S. et al. (2018). Metodologia da pesquisa científica. [Free ebook]. Santa Maria. Editora da UFSM.
Santos, R. L. (2020). Estudo de caso aplicado à avaliação de patologias em estruturas de concreto. Universidade Federal do Ceará.
Shen, D., Liu, X., & Li, Q. (2021). Ultrasonic pulse velocity evaluation of concrete quality considering internal defects. Construction and Building Materials, 296.
Silva, J. R., & Brito, K. O. (2021). Manifestações patológicas em edificações públicas: diagnóstico e análise das causas. Revista de Engenharia Civil e Tecnologia, 9(2), 45–58.
Risemberg, R. I. C. et al. (2026). A importância da metodologia científica no desenvolvimento de artigos científicos. E-Acadêmica, 7(1), e0171675. https://academica.org/eacademica/article/view/675.
Whitehurst, E. A. (1951). Soniscope tests concrete structures. Journal of the American Concrete Institute, 47, 433–444.
Zhang, Y., Wang, L., & Jin, Z. (2022). Evaluation of concrete quality using ultrasonic pulse velocity and rebound hammer methods. Materials, 15.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Francisco Matheus da Silva Barros, Walneis Thiago Silva Santos, Lucas da Silva Soares
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
