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Sensors
Volume 25
Issue 16
10.3390/s25164903
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

High-Performance Capacitive Ultrasonic Transducer for Non-Destructive Testing of Concrete Compressive Strength

by
Wangyang Zhang
1,†,
Jiaqian Yang
1,†,
Lei Ren
1,
Hanjie Dou
1,
Xianglong Chen
1,
Haoliang Jia
1,
Yuchen Mao
1,
Jixuan Zhang
1,
Wanyu Xu
1,
Hong Zhou
2,* and
Xiaojing Mu
1,*
1
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Technology and Systems of Ministry of Education, International Research and Development Center of Micro-Nano Systems and New Materials Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
2
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Micro and Nano Systems for Aerospace, School of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Sensors 2025, 25(16), 4903; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25164903
Submission received: 15 July 2025 / Revised: 2 August 2025 / Accepted: 7 August 2025 / Published: 8 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Structural Health Monitoring of Civil Infrastructure)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Ultrasonic non-destructive testing is indispensable for assessing the compressive strength of concrete and is widely utilized in concrete structure health monitoring. However, traditional ultrasonic transducers typically have a large size, narrow bandwidth, and low sensitivity, and often rely on complex circuitry, facing numerous challenges. These limitations hinder their widespread application in real-world engineering practice. To address these challenges, this study proposes the use of Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (CMUT) technology for non-destructive evaluation of concrete compressive strength. CMUTs offer key advantages, including compact structure, low cost, and high sensitivity, making them well-suited for integration and real-time field applications. Through the use of COMSOL Multiphysics simulations, a strong correlation was observed between the time of flight of ultrasonic waves and concrete compressive strength. Experimental validation was conducted by performing ultrasonic measurements and standard compressive strength tests on concrete specimens. The time of the first highest-amplitude wave (T_FHAW) was extracted as a characteristic parameter and compared against the measured compressive strengths. The results demonstrate a clear linear inverse relationship between T_FHAW and compressive strength, with a coefficient of determination R2= 0.99, confirming the accuracy and reliability of the method. These findings suggest that CMUT-based ultrasonic testing provides an effective and precise approach for non-destructive prediction of concrete compressive strength.
Keywords: CMUTs; ultrasonic non-destructive testing; concrete compressive strength; time of flight CMUTs; ultrasonic non-destructive testing; concrete compressive strength; time of flight

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, W.; Yang, J.; Ren, L.; Dou, H.; Chen, X.; Jia, H.; Mao, Y.; Zhang, J.; Xu, W.; Zhou, H.; et al. High-Performance Capacitive Ultrasonic Transducer for Non-Destructive Testing of Concrete Compressive Strength. Sensors 2025, 25, 4903. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25164903

AMA Style

Zhang W, Yang J, Ren L, Dou H, Chen X, Jia H, Mao Y, Zhang J, Xu W, Zhou H, et al. High-Performance Capacitive Ultrasonic Transducer for Non-Destructive Testing of Concrete Compressive Strength. Sensors. 2025; 25(16):4903. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25164903

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Wangyang, Jiaqian Yang, Lei Ren, Hanjie Dou, Xianglong Chen, Haoliang Jia, Yuchen Mao, Jixuan Zhang, Wanyu Xu, Hong Zhou, and et al. 2025. "High-Performance Capacitive Ultrasonic Transducer for Non-Destructive Testing of Concrete Compressive Strength" Sensors 25, no. 16: 4903. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25164903

APA Style

Zhang, W., Yang, J., Ren, L., Dou, H., Chen, X., Jia, H., Mao, Y., Zhang, J., Xu, W., Zhou, H., & Mu, X. (2025). High-Performance Capacitive Ultrasonic Transducer for Non-Destructive Testing of Concrete Compressive Strength. Sensors, 25(16), 4903. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25164903

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