Collaborative monthly technical webinar between Civil Engineering Studies, UiTM Penang Branch and Faculty of Civil Engineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis

On December 31, 2024, the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Technology at Universiti Malaysia Perlis(UniMAP) hosted an informative two-hour (10 am until 12 noon) technical monthly webinar titled "Ground Penetrating Radar(GPR) Application for Reinforced Concrete Structures Construction Quality Control". The session was presented by the invited speaker Ts. Syahrul Fithry Bin Senin from the Civil Engineering Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA Penang Branch via online platform. The webinar aimed to educate participants on non- destructive assessment techniques for reinforced concrete structures quality control using GPR technology. The participants were awarded 2CPD training hours from Board of Engineers Malaysia,and e-certificate from the webinar organizer. The webinar began with an introduction to internal concrete deterioration and defects,drawing an analogy between human health assessment and structural health monitoring. The speaker emphasized that just as medical professionals use various diagnostic tools to assess human health, civil engineers need reliable methods to evaluate the"health" of reinforced concrete structures. Common quality parameters requiring inspection in RC structures include:
• Concrete cover
• Rebar diameter
• Rebar spacing
• Quantity of rebar sand their arrangement
• Embedded "anomalies" or materials within RC structures
The importance of these inspections was highlightedthrough several key reasons:
• Preventivemaintenance of RC structures
• Avoiding excessive costlystructuralrepairworks
• Evaluatingstructuralintegrityandsafety
• Creating accurate maps pfor clients to ensure avoidance during drilling operations