Influence of carbonation depth on the estimation of compressive strength of reinforced concrete structure by rebound hammer.

The study aims to correlate the rebound hammer and carbonation tests to estimate the compressive strength of a reinforced concrete structure. It began with the rebound hammer test, which determines the surface hardness of the concrete through impacts with a Schmidt hammer. Next, the carbonation test was performed, which measures the depth of penetration of carbonates in the concrete, using phenolphthalein as an acid-base indicator. Based on the data, 5 methods of correlation with compressive strength were applied. The results did not show significant discrepancies, i.e., values close to those of the design strength were obtained, suggesting possible structural degradation.