Concrete Covermeters are used for locating steel reinforcement bars and metal pipes in the construction and maintenance of structures. Damage caused when a drill or a fastener makes contact with a pipe can be very costly. A drill making contact with rebar or tendon ducts not only destroys the drill bit, but can lead to serious structural damage.

Before carrying out any maintenance work, it is vital to identify the location, orientation and depth of sub-surface metalwork.

Elcometer have three covermeters in their range, the Elcometer 331² Models BH, SH and the TH incorporate the Half-Cell technology required to assess potential corrosion of rebar. The Elcometer 331 covermeters are able to accurately determine where the metal is, even when there are complicated crossings of mesh support structures and then locate tendon ducts deep within the structure. This takes the guesswork out of rebar and pipe location

A Half Cell gauge measures the condition and potential corrosion of rebars and steel structures in concrete. When corrosion occurs the ferric oxide protective layer surrounding the concrete breaks down allowing an electrochemical reaction between the steel and the concrete. In the half cell test, the reference electrode is passed over the surface of the concrete and the potential voltage difference is recorded. The readings show where corrosion is likely to be or is currently present.

In Summary, Periodic monitoring of the condition of the rebars and metal supporting structures in buildings, bridges etc. identifies signs and severity of corrosion – long before there are any physical indications of damage. This enables a more accurate forecast of projected lifetime. When the covermeter readings are combined with half cell readings, the user has a powerful surveying tool. This can be easily achieved using the Elcometer Covermaster* software.