Techniques for the evaluation of concrete structures after fire

During a fire, concrete structures behave in most cases very well. It could therefore be of economic interest to repair the damaged structures, as costs for demolition and rebuilding can be avoided and the building can be reused faster. Different assessment techniques are possible to detect the internal damage. This paper studies the application of the Schmidt Rebound Hammer and colorimetry as tool to assess the fire damage of concrete structures. Firstly, experimental data is acquired under laboratory conditions on small specimens. Secondly, this information is used to the damage of a case study consisting of a girder exposed to a real fire. Both techniques show to be very useful in evaluating the fire damage and can provide the necessary information for a calculation of the residual load bearing capacity