Materials Today: Proceedings 32 (2020) 788–796

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Materials Today: Proceedings

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Image-based deterioration assessment of concrete

V. Guru Prathap Reddy a,⇑, B. Murali Krishna b, T. Tadepalli a, P. Rathish Kumar a
a
Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology Warangal, Warangal 506004, Telangana, India
b
Department of civil engineering, VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of engineering and technology, Hyderabad, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The present study quantifies concrete deterioration due to chemical attack using a simple visible-
Received 18 December 2019 spectrum based digital image processing technique. Concrete cubes of M30 grade were cast for durability
Received in revised form 5 March 2020 based studies. Concrete specimens were exposed to deterioration due to acid (HCl, H2SO4) chloride (NaCl)
Accepted 25 March 2020
and sulphate (MgSO4) at 5% concentration for a period of 3, 7, 14 and 28 days. After the requisite period of
Available online 22 April 2020
exposure each face of the individual cube is photographed and the corresponding statistics of grey scale
intensity are obtained. Digital image analysis enables development of correlation with greyscale intensi-
Keywords:
ties of various established deterioration measures such as mass loss, dimension loss and strength loss.
Durability
Digital image processing
Both the intensity of grey scale as well as mean grey scale are found to be good predictors of the extent
Grey scale of deterioration in concrete exposed to HCl and MgSO4 and moderate predictors in case H2SO4 and NaCl,
Deterioration The mean grey scale intensities enable identification of exposure and deterioration due to different
chemicals.
Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 3rd International Con-
ference on Innovative Technologies for Clean and Sustainable Development.

1. Introduction Visual inspection is the most commonly adopted method car-

One of the most important attributes of sustainability is to pro-
test the existing infrastructure in terms of its benefits to society
and the environmental impact associated with its use in construc-
tion [1]. It is important to consider influence of properties related
to durability and sustainability. Durable concrete will retain its
original form, quality, and serviceability when exposed to its in
desirable environmental action [2].
To develop a sustainable asset management strategy’s the most
important aspect is the life cycle assessment of the material itself:
the current concrete condition; its future evolution; the current
safety level and the residual service life [3]. It is hence important
to identify and quantify, the causes and extent of deterioration
for implementing rehabilitative and mitigative solutions. It is
important to have a juxtaposition of durability related aspects on
sustainability. The most common methods for condition assess-
ment of structures are visual inspection and contact based non-
destructive tests (NDTs) which are conducted on structures that
are accessible.
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: guruv@student.nitw.ac.in (V. Guru Prathap Reddy).
ried out by specialists for assessment of aged and possibly dam-
aged structures however, this is highly subjective and dependent
on the skill level of maintenance personnel. Specialists evaluate
the structural integrity by manually measuring visual damage on
critical structural members. In case of large exposed concrete sur-
faces identifying and preparing a manual for mapping corrosion
and moisture can quickly become untenable [4].
Concrete performs well when exposed to various atmospheric
conditions and many other chemical exposures. However, some
chemical environments can deteriorate even high-quality concrete.
Deterioration processes in concrete are well documented in litera-
ture [2,5,6]. The mechanisms of concrete deterioration may be
chemical, physical, or mechanical in nature, but the phenomena
are often interrelated. Typical examples of such mechanisms are
sulphate attack, acid attack, and abrasion, respectively.
In general, Portland cement concrete does not have good resis-
tance to acids. Most hydraulic cement concretes, regardless of their
composition, cannot resist severe damage for long when exposed
to a solution with a pH of 3 or less [6]. The chlorides and nitrates
of ammonium, magnesium, aluminium, and iron all cause concrete
deterioration, with those of ammonium producing the most dam-
age [7]. Naturally occurring sulfates of sodium, potassium, calcium,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.03.716
2214-7853/Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 3rd International Conference on Innovative Technologies for Clean and Sustainable
Development.
 V. Guru Prathap Reddy et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 32 (2020) 788–796 789

or magnesium are sometimes found in soil or dissolved in ground-
water. The reactions can induce sufficient pressure to disrupt the
cement paste, resulting in loss of cohesion and strength. Hence,
deterioration in concrete structures can occur due to intrinsic
and extrinsic causes.
In order to repair and rehabilitate concrete structures, the
causes and extent of deterioration must be identified and quanti-
fied. The initial step in this direction is an exact assessment of their
load-bearing capacity, durability, and serviceability. Among these
performance metrics, durability is the most important for attempt-
ing to predicting the lifetime of a structure [5].
Efficient and accurate imaging techniques are needed for a reli-
able evaluation of safety and serviceability of concrete structures.
Although at present, imaging is commonly used in various fields
and for implementation of these technologies for conducting NDT
on civil engineering systems, especially concrete structures. Imag-
ing of concrete structures may be achieved using techniques such
as radiography, radioactive computerized tomography, infrared
thermography, radar imaging and acoustic imaging [8].
Previous researchers [4,9,10,11]used digital image processing
method to find the degradation effect on concrete structures.
Jeong-II Choi et al. [9], quantified carbonated area of concrete
structure using DIP method sprayed with phenolphthalein. The
degradation depth of cementitious material is quantified by I
Segura et al. [10]. Jozefkomacka et al. [11], carried out histogram
based assessment on the bitumen aggregate system with different
angles, different distances of camera with different illuminations. J
Valenca et al. [4], utilized multi spectral image analysis to classify
the damage in RC structures.
The most critical parameters which affect the success of visible
spectrum based imaging techniques are variations in field condi-
tions such as ambient light, biological surface growth and surface
moisture. For quantitative assessment of concrete structures, cor-
rections need to be applied to measurement data considering these
effects.
2. Research significance
The main objective of this work is to identify and quantify con-
crete deterioration due to accelerated chemical attack by HCl,
H2SO4, NaCl and MgSO4 at 5% concentration, using visible spectrum
and commercially available low-cost DSLR cameras to enable sus-
tainable asset management. The effect of variation of ambient light
on this deterioration assessment methodology, which enables cor-
relation of greyscale intensities with various deterioration mea-
sures such as mass loss, dimension loss and strength loss, is
presented.
Few researchers have carried out works on deterioration assess-
ment of concrete using digital processing of images captured in the
visible light spectrum [4,9,10,11]. Also there are very few studies
that have investigated the effects of acids and salts attacks on
histogram-based assessment of concrete structures for sustainable
development. The methodology presented in this article is useful
for imaging based monitoring of deterioration and condition
assessment of RC structures
3.2. Fine aggregate
River sand. The sand confirming to Zone-II of IS 383-2016 is
used as fine aggregate [13].
3.3. Coarse aggregate
Natural aggregates: Machine crushed granite procured locally is
used as coarse aggregate. The aggregate particles are tested for the
different properties, as per IS: 2386 part IV-1963 (R2016) [13].
3.4. Water
Potable water free from deleterious matters is used for mixing
of concrete as water reacts chemically with cement.
In the present study M30 grade of concrete mix is designed as
per IS10262:2019 [14].The details of mix proportion are shown
in Table 1 M30 refers to mix with a characteristic compressive
strength of concrete cubes of size 150
150
150 mm at the
end of 28 days of water curing not less than 30 Mpa.
4. Experimental program
The experimental investigation consists of casting and testing
54 concrete cubes specimens each of size
150 mm
150 mm
150 mm for determining the mechanical
properties along with durability properties during exposure to
Hydrochloric acid (HCl), Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4), Magnesium Sul-
phate (MgSO4) and Sodium Chloride (NaCl) attack at 5% concentra-
tion of four different durations of exposure (3, 7, 14 and 28 days)
4.1. Casting and curing
The individual materials of required amounts were weighed
and dry mixing was done. The concrete mixer having a capacity
of 100Kg was used for mixing the concrete. Continuous mixing of
concrete was done for 5 to 7 min for ensuring homogenous mixing.
Concrete was then placed into 150 mm
150 mm
150 mm cube
moulds and vibrated. Specimens were demoulded after 24 h and
cured for 28 days, before conducting the tests for hardened and
durability properties. In present work M30 grade concrete speci-
mens are considered.
4.2. Compressive strength
After 28 days of conventional curing and immersion in acid
solutions, cube specimens were tested for compressive strength.
The cube specimens were tested immersion in a constant rate of
loading as per IS 516:2018 [15] to determine the compressive
strength.
4.3. Acid attack test
The chemical resistance of concrete is studied by immersing
concrete cubes in Hydrochloric acid (HCl), Sulphuric Acid
(H2SO4), Magnesium Sulphate (MgSO4) and Sodium Chloride

3. Materials
Table 1
Mix Proportions.
The materials used in the study are follows:
Material Weight in Kg/m3
Cement 410
3.1. Cement Water 186
Water/Cement Ratio 0.45
Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) [12] 53-Grade is used through- Fine Aggregate 649
Coarse Aggregate 1201
out the experimental work.
790 V. Guru Prathap Reddy et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 32 (2020) 788–796

(NaCl) solutions. After 28 days of curing, the initial mass, body 4.6. Acid strength loss factor (ASLF)
diagonal dimension values are measured and the specimens were
immersed in 5% HCl, 5% H2SO4, 5% MgSO4 and 5% NaCl solutions The relative strength existing in concrete after immersion in the
separately. acid is defined as acid strength loss factor (ASLF). The existing
The mass, diagonal dimension values and compressive strength strength is evaluated with respect to the 28 days compressive
are measured at the end of 3, 7, 14 and 28 days of immersion. strength. Major factor effecting the ASLF is duration of immersion
Proper care was taken to maintain a constant acid concentration in the acid. ASLF is calculated using the formula as below.
during the immersion period. After 28 days of immersion of spec-
N
imens in various acids, the specimens were removed from the solu- Acid strength loss factor ðASLFÞ ¼ Sr ð3Þ
tions and allowed to dry. The three factors namely, acid attacking M
factor(AAF), acid strength loss factor (ASLF) and acid mass loss fac- where,
tor (AMLF) affect the durability of concrete as per ASTM C 666– Sr = relative strength at N days,
1997 [9,10,16]. All these properties are combined to obtain the acid M = number of days at which the exposure is to be terminated,
durability loss factor (ADLF) [17]. N = number of days at which the durability factor is needed,
where Sr = CompressionCompression
strength after N days of exposure to
strength of control cube
chemical

The different factors effecting the durability of concrete (weight

4.4. Acid mass loss factor (AMLF)
loss, dimension loss and strength loss) are combined together and
termed as Acid Durability Loss Factor (ADLF).
Acid mass loss factor is defined as the ratio of change in mass of
ADLF is calculated as below:
specimen to the initial mass of specimen. Higher the value of AMLF
indicates more loss, thus less durability. Acid Durability Loss Factor ðADLFÞ ¼ AMLF
ASLF
AAF ð4Þ

M1  M2
Acid Mass Loss Factor ðAMLFÞ ¼
100 ð1Þ 5. Experimental setup
M1
Initial mass = M1, Final Mass = M2. In order to account for the variations in ambient lighting under
field conditions, the visible light spectrum images of concrete
cubes are captured at three lighting levels - Outdoor Bright Light
4.5. Acid attacking factor (AAF) (OBL)-1st place, Medium-Light Indoor (MLI)-2nd place, and Ambi-
ent Light Indoor (ALI)-3rd place. The control cube is placed in three
For determining the acid attacking factor the specimens were locations corresponding to the light levels and images are captured
immersed in the acid for a certain period of time. The specimens with a standard color checker card (Fig. 1) as control and ImageJ
were taken out from the acid solutions and the magnitude of dete- software is used to analyze the images.
rioration is measured by taking the diagonal length i.e., from one From the results of histograms, as shown in Fig. 2, the variation
corner to opposite corner. The acid attacking factor (AAF) is the between mean values of grey-scale for Medium-light indoor (MLI)
ratio of change in dimension before and after the specimens were and ambient light indoor (ALI) is less compared to Outdoor Bright
immersed in acid solution. The extent of loss is determined as Light (OBL). As expected, the intensity level of the histogram corre-
sponding to OBL is also considerably high. The Medium-light
d1  d2 indoor (MLI) lighting is considered the reference lighting configu-
Acid attacking factor ðAAFÞ ¼
100 ð2Þ
d1 ration throughout the experiment as its grey-scale values overlap
with those of ambient light indoor (ALI). This reference lighting
where, configuration is consistently used to capture the images of various
Final dimension after immersion = d1 concrete cube samples after exposure to different acid and salt
Original dimension before immersion = d2. attacks.

Fig. 1. Color checker card and specimen.

 V. Guru Prathap Reddy et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 32 (2020) 788–796 791

60000
1st place
50000 2nd place
3rd place
40000
Intensity
30000

20000

10000

0
0 50 100 150 200 250
Grey scale

Fig. 2. Histograms for three different lighting conditions.

6. Results and discussion
6.1. Compressive strength
The variation in compressive strength of M30 grade concrete
cubes exposed to NaCl, HCl, H2SO4, and MgSO4 at 5% concentration
for 3, 7, 14, and 28 days is determined as shown in Fig. 3. It is
observed that the compressive strength of concrete decreases with
an increase in the duration of exposure.
The variation in strength of concrete exposed to MgSO4 and
NaCl is almost identical. Magnesium sulphate solution affected
the cement paste more severely than other sulphate solutions
because of the formation of low dissoluble magnesium hydroxide.
Magnesium hydroxide showed highly aggressive nature to C-S-H
gel. The reaction of magnesium ions with the calcium hydroxide,
calcium silicates, and C-S-H gel resulted in magnesium hydroxide,
gypsum, and ettringite, respectively. However, the strength loss in
concrete exposed to MgSO4 is the least compared to other chemi-
cals used in this study and it is inferred that exposure to magne-
sium sulphate solution does not affect the concrete as
significantly as the other chemicals (NaCl, HCl, H2SO4) in this
study.
In case of concrete cube exposed to HCl, the strength is reduced
by 10.29 MPa at 28 days duration relative to the specimens
exposed to MgSO4 and NaCl. Concrete exposed to HCl reacts with
hydration products of the concrete matrix. Due to the larger vol-
ume of gypsum and ettringite, volume expansion occurs, resulting
in internal pressure, crack formation, and weakening of the con-
crete. The concrete strength exposed to H2SO4 for 28 days duration
is reduced by 14.26 MPa at 28 days duration relative to the speci-
mens exposed to MgSO4 and NaCl.
6.2. Acid strength loss factor (ASLF)
The acid strength loss factor (ASLF) is the variation in compres-
sive strength of concrete dipped in different acidic environments
viz., NaCl, HCl, H2SO4, and MgSO4 at 5% concentration. The ASLF
is calculated using Equation 3 and variation of strength loss for
M30 grade concrete for 3,7,14 and 28 days duration of exposure
is shown in Fig. 4. The figure indicates the concrete exposed to
NaCl and MgSO4 has very similar strengths over the entire duration
upto 28 days, while concrete exposed to HCl, H2SO4 has similar
trends in strength reduction. At 28 days of exposure, ASLF for
H2SO4 is 20% more compared to HCl. Due to high absorption of

Fig. 3. Duration of Acid Attack vs Compressive strength. Fig. 4. Duration of Acid Attack vs Acid Strength Loss Factor.
792 V. Guru Prathap Reddy et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 32 (2020) 788–796

sulphuric acid, more gypsum is formed resulting in loss in strength

due to weakening of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between
aggregate and cement paste, hence strength.

6.3. Acid mass loss factor (AMLF)

The AMLF is calculated using Equation 1. The Fig. 5 shows the

variation of mass loss factor for different durations of exposure.
A similar trend in mass loss is observed for NaCl and MgSO4 at 3,
7, 14 and 28 days duration. The concrete specimen exposed to 5%
H2SO4 shows maximum deterioration in weight (AMLF) among
all the specimens exposed to various chemicals, as the reaction
between H2SO4 and free lime present in cement paste leads to for-
mation of gypsum. When gypsum reacts with calcium aluminate
present in cement paste, a less soluble reaction product, ettringite
is formed. Both gypsum and ettringite are less dense than the
hydrated products of cement, resulting in softening (decrease in
density) of concrete. The decrease in density of concrete leads to
a decrease in the mass of concrete, and this decrease in density
of concrete also occurs due to H2SO4-cement paste reaction.
Fig. 6. Duration of Acid Attack vs Acid attacking Factor.

6.4. Acid attacking factor (AAF)

The AAF quantifies the change in geometry (body diagonal) of
specimen due to chemical exposure. The average dimension of
body diagonals is measured before and after exposure for 3, 7, 14
and 28-day durations. The AAF is calculated by using Equation.2.
The loss of diagonals (Fig. 6) is less when exposed to NaCl and
MgSO4. The maximum AAF at 28 days of duration is 7.93 for
H2SO4 at 5% concentrations. Because of the weakening of ITZ, the
cement paste is completely attacked by sulphuric acid surface,
resulting in changes in the dimensions of cubes.
Exposure to H2SO4 results in a high durability loss factor, which
confirms maximum loss in integrity of concrete.
6.6. Grey scale intensity analysis
The captured images are analyzed in image processing software
ImageJ to obtain grey-scale value vs intensity histograms. As
shown in Fig. 8, each face of the cube has different grey-scale
intensities. The average of results of six faces of cube plotting
grey-scale and intensities, shown in Fig. 8.

6.5. Acid durability loss factor (ADLF)

Table 2
Acid durability loss factor of M30 grade concrete.
All the losses including strength, mass and dimensions, are
combined to obtain acid durability loss factor (ADLF). This is calcu- Duration of immersion (Days) Acid durability loss factor
lated by using Eq. (4). Table 2 Fig. 7 and presents the ADLF expo- NaCl MgSO4 HCl H2SO4
sure to NaCl, MgSO4, H2SO4, HCl for 3, 7, 14, and 28 days 3 0 0 0.04 0.05
duration. From Fig. 7 it is evident that M30 grade concrete exposed 7 0.04 0.05 0.34 0.78
to NaCl and MgSO4 results in (nearly equal) low durability loss fac- 14 0.44 0.33 2.78 4.47
tors, while exposure to HCl results in moderate durability loss. 28 1.79 1.08 14.05 23.93

Fig. 5. Duration of Acid Attack vs Acid Mass Loss Factor. Fig. 7. Duration of acid attack vs Acid Durability Loss Factor.
 V. Guru Prathap Reddy et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 32 (2020) 788–796 793

120000
Face 1
Face 2
100000
Face 3
80000 Face 4

Intensity
Face 5
60000 Face 6
Average
40000

20000

0
0 50 100 150 200 250
Grey scale

Fig. 8. Control specimen histogram.

160000
3 days
140000
7 days
120000
14 days
100000
Intensity

28 days
80000
60000
40000
20000
0
0 50 100 150 200 250
Grey scale
Fig. 9. Histogram of average grey scale intensities of HCl.

160000
140000 3 days
120000 7 days
100000 14 days
Intensity

80000 28 days
60000
40000
20000
0
0 50 100 150 200 250
Grey scale
Fig. 10. Histogram of average grey scale intensities of H2SO4.

Figs. 9–12 show the maximum grey-scale intensity spectra Out of the four exposure conditions, the maximum grey-scale
obtained from cubes exposed to four different chemical agents intensity is observed during exposure to NaCl, HCl, and H2SO4 for
viz.,HCl, H2SO4, NaCl and MgSO4, for 3, 7, 14 and 28 days duration. a period of seven days. Exposure to MgSO4 results in maximum
794 V. Guru Prathap Reddy et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 32 (2020) 788–796

160000
3 days
140000
120000 7 days

100000 14 days
Intensity
80000 28 days
60000
40000
20000
0
0 50 100 150 200 250
Grey scale
Fig. 11. Histogram of average grey scale intensities of NaCl.

160000
140000
3 days
120000
7 days
100000
Intensity

14 days
80000 28 days
60000
40000
20000
0
0 50 100 150 200 250
Grey scale
Fig. 12. Histogram of average grey scale intensities of MgSO4.

40
Average compression strength (MPa)

y = -1E-05x2 + 0.2843x - 1925.2

R² = 0.9571
35

30

25

20

15
13000 13200 13400 13600 13800 14000 14200 14400 14600 14800 15000
Average intensity

Fig. 13. Intensity Vs Compression strength (HCl exposure).

grey-scale intensity when exposed for a period of three days. Gen-
erally, the grey-scale values vary from 0 (black) to 255 (white).
Fig. 9 shows the variation of pixel intensity with grey-scale val-
ues of concrete exposed to HCl. In this, the grey-scale values are 90,
103, 110, 140 corresponding to 3, 7, 14 and 28 days of exposure
respectively. The seven days of exposure shows high pixel intensity
with a grey-scale value of 103 while the exposure for 14 days dura-
tion shows a lower intensity with a grey-scale value of 110.
Fig. 10 shows the variation of pixel intensity with grey-scale
values of concrete exposed to H2SO4. In this, the grey-scale values
 V. Guru Prathap Reddy et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 32 (2020) 788–796 795

are 134, 140, 153, 149 for 3, 7, 14 and 28 days of exposure. The
maximum pixel intensity occurs at seven days of exposure with
a grey scale values of 140 while the minimum pixel intensity at
28 days of exposure has a 149 grey scale value.
Fig. 11 shows the variation of pixel intensity with grey-scale
values of concrete exposed to NaCl. The grey-scale values are
123, 133, 127, 119 for 3, 7, 14 and 28 days of duration respectively.
No significant variation between grey-scale values and color was
observed for 3, 14 and 28 days exposure. However, a significant
deviation in both intensity and grey-scale value was observed for
the 7 days of exposure and hence less damage.
Fig. 12 shows a different trend of initial increase and subse-
quent decrease in grey-scale values (132, 117, 126, 105) over 3,
7, 14 and 28 day respectively for concrete exposed to MgSO4. The
small variation in the grey-scale values of MgSO4 indicates less
color change. From the average greyscale intensities, it is possible

40
Average compression strength (MPa)

38 y = 4E-06x2 - 0.0937x + 650.07

36 R² = 0.5199
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
20
10000 11000 12000 13000 14000 15000 16000
Average intensity

Fig. 14. Intensity Vs Compression strength (H2SO4 exposure).

39
Average compression strength (MPa)

38.5 y = 3E-06x2 - 0.0779x + 553.23

R² = 0.2369
38
37.5
37
36.5
36
35.5
35
34.5
12400 12600 12800 13000 13200 13400 13600 13800 14000 14200
Average intensity

Fig. 15. Intensity Vs Compression strength (NaCl exposure).

41 y = -1E-06x2 + 0.0259x - 119.41

Average compression strength (MPa)

R² = 0.9946
40

39

38

37

36

35
10000 10500 11000 11500 12000 12500 13000 13500 14000 14500
Average intensity

Fig. 16. Intensity Vs Compression strength (MgSO4 exposure).

796 V. Guru Prathap Reddy et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 32 (2020) 788–796
to obtain the corresponding strengths at different ages for various
exposure conditions using digital image analysis.
Form the above data shown in Figs. 9–12, the correlation
between the average intensity of each cube with respect to average
corresponding compressive strength can be obtained from the dig-
ital image analysis. The correlation for various conditions is plotted
as shown in Figs. 13–16. Fig. 13 shows a variation in strength with
respect to pixel intensity for specimens exposed to HCl. Similarly
Figs. 14–16 shows the variation for exposure toH2SO4, NaCl and
MgSo4.
From Figs. 13–16, it can be noted that the correlation between
average intensity and average compression strength due to expo-
sure to HCl, H2SO4, NaCl, and MgSO4 are 0.95, 0.51, 0.23, and
0.99. The correlation is poor in case of H2SO4 and NaCl exposures,
while the correlation is good in case of HCl and MgSO4.
7. Conclusions
In order to quantify the effect of corrosive conditions created
due to chemical attack by HCl, H2SO4, NaCl and MgSO4, the Acid
Durability Loss Factor (ADLF) which combines Acid Mass Loss Fac-
tor (AMLF), Acid Attacking Factor (AAF), and Acid Strength Loss
Factor (AMLF) are adopted in this study. The mass loss results indi-
cate the order of loss or deterioration to different exposures as H2-
SO4 > HCl > NaCl > MgSO4. Dimension loss, which depicts the Acid
Attacking Factor (AAF) due to loss of diagonals under exposure to
various environments is in the order: H2SO4 > HCl > NaCl > MgSO4.
Exposure to both acid and salts are studied with the resulting
observation that HCl is more damaging compared to H2SO4, while
NaCl causes more deterioration in concrete than MgSO4. There is a
good correlation between mean intensity of grey scale and average
compressive strength, particularly in case of HCl and MgSO4. Inten-
sity of greyscale is a good predictor of deterioration of concrete
exposed to HCl and MgSO4, while it is not so in case of NaCl and
MgSO4 exposure. In summary, it is established that digital images
captured in the visible light spectrum can enable estimation of the
intensity of deterioration in concrete compressive strength due to
attack by certain chemicals such as HCl and MgSO4, with reason-
able accuracy. A simple visible-spectrum based digital image pro-
cessing technique for estimating deterioration in concrete under
chemical attack is established using a low-cost simple DSLR
camera.
Declaration of interests
The authors declare that they have no known competing finan-
cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to
influence the work reported in this paper.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
V. Guru Prathap Reddy: Conceptualization, Methodology,
Investigation, Validation, Writing - original draft. B. Murali
Krishna: Formal analysis. T. Tadepalli: Conceptualization, Visual-
ization, Supervision. P. Rathish Kumar: Conceptualization, Visual-
ization, Supervision.
Acknowledgements
This study has been funded by the MHRD-IMPRINT project No.
7338 titled as ‘‘A simple and robust non-contact method for rapid
structural health monitoring of critical infrastructure using Digital
Image Correlation”.
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