A nondestructive method of investigating the morphology of concrete sur- faces by means of newly designed 3D scanner Slawomir CZARNECKI 1 , Jerzy HOLA 1 , Lukasz SADOWSKI 1 1 Faculty of Civil Engineering, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wroclaw, Poland e-mail: slawomir.czarnecki@pwr.edu.pl, jerzy.hola@pwr.edu.pl, lukasz.sadowski@pwr.edu.pl Abstract This paper presents the possibilities of investigating the morphology of concrete surfaces by means of a novel 3D laser scanner and the advantages of the latter over the previous scanners. The results of such investigations for differently prepared surfaces on elements made of concretes differing in their composition are compared. The results have the form of three-dimensional images and several surface morphology parameters acquirable using this technique. Unlike the commonly used scanners, which scan the entire surface of an investigated element, the novel 3D scanner is used to precisely analyze the morphology of a 50 × 50 mm surface for the purposes of the nondestructive identification of the pull-off adhesion of concrete layers in layered building elements. Key words: nondestructive tests, concrete surfaces, morphology, 3D scanner 1. Introduction In construction practice the morphology of concrete surfaces is examined using 2D and 3D techniques. Currently nondestructive 3D optical techniques, making it possible to ob- tain a three-dimensional virtual image of the examined surface without disturbing the struc- ture of the investigated element, are being intensively developed [1-3]. Analyzing this image by means of dedicated computer software one can generate values of the 3D roughness pa- rameters specified in standard [4], needed for the identification of the pull-off adhesion of concrete layers in such layered structures as floors. This paper presents a novel 3D scanner, highlighting its advantages over other scan- ners of this kind. The capabilities of the scanner have been verified and the latter’s usefulness for acquiring many parameters describing the morphology of concrete surfaces has been con- firmed. Results of investigations of six differently prepared surfaces on two elements (one made of cement mortar and the other made of concrete) carried out by means of this scanner are provided as an illustration. 2. 2D techniques of investigating morphology of concrete surfaces 2.1 Profile technique using mechanical contact The profile technique using mechanical contact enables one to investigate the profile of roughness along a selected axis. As a result, one can obtain the values of such parameters describing the profile as: arithmetical mean deviation (Ra), maximum profile height (Rz), root-mean square deviation (Rq), maximum profile peak height (Rp), maximum profile valley depth (Rv) and their averages (Rvp, Rvm). This technique requires mechanical contact be- tween the tested surface and a special head with a diamond tip, being a part of a roughness recorder. As the head moves along a selected axis, it records changes in the position of the tip. Figure 1 shows an exemplary measuring device [5] and the idea of the measurement [6]. 11th European Conference on Non-Destructive Testing (ECNDT 2014), October 6-10, 2014, Prague, Czech Republic More Info at Open Access Database www.ndt.net/?id=16360