Numerical Evaluation of a muon tomography system for imaging defects in concrete structures

TL;DR

This study numerically evaluates muon scattering tomography for detecting defects in concrete structures, demonstrating its potential as a non-destructive testing method with improved image analysis techniques.

Contribution

It introduces a simulation-based approach using Geant4 to assess muon tomography for civil engineering, incorporating a novel image processing method for defect detection.

Findings

Muon scattering tomography can identify concrete defects with cosmic muons.

Pattern recognition improves defect detection accuracy.

The method offers a non-destructive evaluation technique for civil structures.

Abstract

Among numerous applications of muon tomography, deployment in civil structures has caught attraction of many recently. In this work, the appropriateness of muon scattering tomography to detect defects in concrete structures has been studied numerically. A few basic concrete structures that are frequently used in civil construction, have been considered as test cases. A simulation has been performed on Geant4 platform where an imaging setup built with several gaseous ionization detectors, having a specific spatial resolution for tracking the muons, have been modeled. The images of the test cases with and without the defect have been simulated for a month-long exposure of cosmic muons on the basis of their scattering from the composite concrete structures. The images have been compared using t-test to evaluate the performance of the imaging setup in identifying the defects. Further processing of the images has been done with a pattern recognition method proposed in our earlier work to improve defect identification. The efficacy of the said method has been evaluated in terms of the PRM-score devised in this work. The limitation and advantages of the present application of the muon scattering tomography encompassing the imaging and image processing technique in non-destructive evaluation of concrete structures have been discussed.