Elcometer 331 SH, 331 TH Operating Instructions Manual

Download

Elcometer 331

Concrete Covermeter

Model SH • Model TH

English

Operating Instructions

English

The Elcometer 331 Concrete Covermeter has been tested in accordance with EU regulations governing Electro-magnetic compliance and it meets the required directives.

Note: Readings may be affected if the unit is operated within a radio frequency electromagnetic strength of greater than 3 V/m.

Elcometer Limited.

, CoverMaster® and are registered trademarks of

All other trademarks acknowledged.

(in a retrieval system or otherwise) or translated into any language, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, manual or otherwise) without the prior written permission of Elcometer Limited.

A copy of this Instruction Manual is available for download on our Website via www.elcometer.com/ downloads.

Doc.No. TMA-0384 Issue 04

Text with Cover No: 19754

Section Page

1 About your Covermeter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2 Quick-start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

3 Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3.1 The power supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3.2 Fitting search heads. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

3.3 Identifying search heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

3.4 Fitting half-cell probes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

3.5 The controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

3.6 Switching the Covermeter on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

3.7 The display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

3.8 Selecting a language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3.9 Computer interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3.10 Using the earphone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3.11 Zeroing the Covermeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

4 The menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

5 Locating reinforcement bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

5.1 Before you start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

5.2 To locate a single layer of reinforcement bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

5.3 To locate two layers of reinforcement bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

5.4 To determine the orientation of a reinforcement bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

5.5 Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

5.6 Surface mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

6 Measuring depth of cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

6.1 Before you start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

6.2 Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

6.3 What happens when you press Enter [] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

6.4 Accuracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

7 Selecting bar size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

8 AutoSizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

9 Measuring size of reinforcement bars (orthogonal) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

9.1 Before you start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

9.2 Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

9.3 Accuracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

9.4 Reducing errors when orthogonal sizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

10 Measuring half-cell potential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

10.1 Before you start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

10.2 Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

10.3 What happens when you press Enter [] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

10.4 Measuring cell-to-cell rather than cell-to-bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

11 Sound mode/Detection mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

11.1 Locate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

11.2 Maxpip™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

11.3 Under Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

12 Setting limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

13 Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

14 Batching/Data logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

14.1 Linear batches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

14.2 Grid batches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

14.3 What does a batch contain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

14.4 Saving your readings in memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

14.5 Exit batching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

14.6 Open new batch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

14.7 Open existing batch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

14.8 Clone batch/Copy batch information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

14.9 Review batch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

14.10 Plot batch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

14.11 Plot options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

14.12 Edit batch tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

14.13 Delete batch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

14.14 Delete all batches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

14.15 Free memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

14.16 The BATCH softkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

14.17 How to enter information into batch header fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

15 A typical survey (using grid batch memory) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

16 Plotting batches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

16.1 Plot batch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

16.2 Plot options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

17 Measuring welded mesh and joined bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

18 Transferring readings to a computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

19 Search heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

20 Half-cell probes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

21 Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

22 Personalised welcome screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

23 Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

24 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

25 Upgrading your Covermeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

26 Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

27 Related equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

28 Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

29 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

BOUT YOUR COVERMETER

Thank you for your purchase of this Elcometer 331 Concrete Covermeter. Welcome to Elcometer. Elcometer are world leaders in the design, manufacture and supply of inspection equipment for

concrete and coatings. Our concrete inspection products include a comprehensive range of concrete, and civil engineering

inspection equipment. Our coatings products cover all aspects of coating inspection, from development through application to post application inspection.

The Elcometer 331 Concrete Covermeter is a world beating product. With the purchase of this Covermeter you now have access to the worldwide service and support network of Elcometer. For more information visit our website at www.elcometer.com

1 ABOUT YOUR COVERMETER

The Elcometer 331 Concrete Covermeter is a handheld Covermeter for fast and accurate location, orientation and measurement of concrete reinforcement bars (high tensile steel or stainless steel). Your Covermeter can also be used in half-cell mode to help assess the potential for corrosion of the reinforcement bars.

Locate • Identify orientation

Measure depth of cover • Measure diameter • Measure half-cell potential

The Covermeter is available in five versions:

• Model B (entry level)

• Model BH (entry level with half-cell potential measurement)

• Model SH (intermediate level with half-cell potential measurement)

• Model TH (data logging with half-cell potential measurement)

• Model THD (data logging with half-cell potential measurement and stainless steel reinforcement bar detection)

This manual describes the operation of the Elcometer 331 Model SH and Model TH.

All versions of the Covermeter feature an easy-to-use menu-driven graphical interface which guides the user during setup of the Covermeter and during measurement.

A range of fully interchangeable search heads and half-cell probes is available to suit your requirements. Search heads include a keypad which allows remote operation of the Covermeter. See “Search heads” on page 55 for full details.

Your Covermeter is packed in cardboard and plastic packaging. Please ensure that this packaging is disposed of in an environmentally sensitive manner. Consult your Local Environmental Authority for further guidance.

To maximise the benefits of your new Elcometer 331 Concrete Covermeter please take some time to read these Operating Instructions. Do not hesitate to contact Elcometer or your Elcometer supplier if you have any questions.

BOUT YOUR COVERMETER

1.1 Features

Feature

Menu-driven backlit graphical user interface

3 sizes of search head + borehole probe

Weather proof to IP65

International standard bar size database in memory

Multiple languages

Automatic bar size estimate

Additional orthogonal bar size calculation

Locate mode

Under Cover mode - alerts user when cover is below minimum

Maxpip™ mode - for fast identification of reinforcement bar layout

Memory - up to 10 linear batches, up to 1000 readings in each batch

Memory - multiple linear and grid batches, up to 240 000 readings

Text fields for input of user data in each batch

Date and time stamping

Statistical analysis of readings and batches

Alarm if reading is outside limits

Transfer readings and statistics to a computer

CoverMaster® software for batch setup, data transfer and reporting

Half-cell potential measurement

Plot mode

Stainless steel reinforcement bar detection and measurement

Upgradeable

Elcometer 331 Model

B BH SH TH THD

                                                                                    

    

                   

Page

Note: Features described in these instructions apply to all models unless otherwise indicated in the text.

1.2 What this box contains

• Elcometer 331 Model SH or Model TH Concrete Covermeter

• Search heada connecting cable

• Rechargeable battery pack and battery charger

• Earphone

• Shoulder strap

• CD containing CoverMaster® software

• Data transfer cable

• Plastic carrying case

• Operating instructions

a. Search head (and half-cells) must be ordered separately. See “Accessories” on page 64 for full details of

search heads and half-cell kits.

UICK-START

Figure 1. Elcometer 331 Concrete Covermeter

1.3 Standards

The Elcometer 331 Concrete Covermeter can be used in accordance with the following National and International Standards: BS1881:204, ASTM C876, DGZfP:B2, DGZfP:B3, TR60, UN110174

1.4 Conventions in these instructions

A simple menu structure helps you get the most from your Covermeter - see “The menus” on page 13. There are many references to this menu structure in these instructions.

As an example, the LANGUAGE option which is in SETUP from the MAIN MENU would be shown in these instructions as:

MENU / SETUP / LANGUAGE

These instructions include images of Elcometer 331 screens with units set to millimetres (mm). Similar screens will be seen when the Covermeter is set to inches.

2 QUICK-START

To configure the Covermeter quickly and start taking readings:

1. Charge the batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see page 4

2. Fit search head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see page 6

or Fit half-cell probe and cables . . . . . . . . . . see page 7

3. Switch on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see page 9

4. Select language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see page 11

5. Zero the Covermeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see page 12

6. To locate a bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see page 18

7. To measure depth of a bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see page 22

8. To measure size of a bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see page 27

9. To measure half-cell potential . . . . . . . . . . . . see page 31

10. To use memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see page 40

For an overview of your Covermeter menus and functions, see pages 13 to 17.

ETTING STARTED

3 GETTING STARTED

This section of the instructions is intended for first-time users of the Covermeter. It contains essential information about batteries, assembling the Covermeter, the controls and the display. At the end of this section you will be ready to take readings.

3.1 The power supply

Your Covermeter is powered by a rechargeable Lithium-Ionb battery pack which can be charged inside or outside the Covermeter.

One battery pack is supplied with the Covermeter. To increase productivity on site, Elcometer recommends that you purchase a spare battery pack which can be charged while you are using your Covermeter. To order an additional battery pack (see “Accessories” on page 64), contact Elcometer or your local Elcometer supplier.

Charging the batteries

The rechargeable battery must be fully charged before using the Covermeter for the first time. Use only the charger supplied with your Covermeter to charge the battery. Use of any other type of charger is a potential hazard, may damage your Covermeter and will invalidate the warranty. Do not attempt to charge any other batteries with the supplied charger.

Always charge the battery indoors. To prevent overheating, ensure that the charger is not covered.

1. Referring to Figure 2, unscrew the retaining screw (1) and open the interface access cover (2) on the rear of the Covermeter.

Figure 2. Covermeter rear panel

2. Connect the lead from the charger into the socket marked ‘Charger Input’ behind the interface access cover (Figure 3).

b. The Covermeter is not designed to operate using dry cell batteries.

(battery in the Covermeter) (battery removed)

ETTING STARTED

The Covermeter will automatically switch off when the lead from the charger is connected.

Figure 3. Charging the batteries

3. Plug the charger supplied into the mains supply. The LED indicator on the charger will glow orange.

4. Leave the gauge charging for at least 4 hours. The LED indicator changes colour from orange to green when charging is complete.

5. When charging is complete, disconnect the charger from the mains supply before removing the lead from the Covermeter.

To remove the battery pack for charging outside the Covermeter, unscrew the two battery pack retaining screws (Figure 2, item 3) at the rear of the Covermeter and slide out the battery pack. To charge the battery once it has been removed, connect the lead from the charger into the socket on the battery pack (Figure 3).

Warning: Do not allow metallic objects to come into contact with the battery terminals; this may cause a short circuit and result in permanent damage to the battery.

Warning: Do not attempt to connect the supply side of the battery charger to generators or any other medium to high power source other than the single phase 50 Hz AC mains outlet supplied from an approved and safe mains switchboard. Connection to other supply sources such as generators or inverters may have the potential to damage the charger, the battery and/or the gauge, invalidating warranty.

Battery condition indicator

The state of charge of the battery is shown by a symbol on the display:

Symbol Battery charge/action required

70% to 100%

40% to 70%

20% to 40%

10% to 20%, charging recommended

<10%, Covermeter beeps every 10 seconds and symbol flashes - immediate charging required

5 loud beeps, Covermeter switches off automatically

ETTING STARTED

3.2 Fitting search heads

The Covermeter must be switched off when search heads are fitted or removed. Connect the search head to the Covermeter using the supplied connecting cable. The connecting

cable is fitted with a metal screw-type connector at each end. To fit a connector, align the keyway, push the connector into place and then tighten the metal collar.

A range of search heads is available for your Covermeter - see “Search heads” on page 55 for full details. The search head icon on the reading screen indicates the type of search head connected to the Covermeter:

Narrow pitch

Standard

Deep cover

Borehole probe - set to forward-looking operation

Borehole probe - set to sideways-looking operation

The Covermeter must be zeroed after a search head has been fitted and after changing between high-tensile and stainless modes - the display will show PLEASE ZERO and the ZERO softkey will flash to remind you.

The metal and plastic bracket on the outside of the main unit is a storage clip for standard and narrow pitch search heads. The bracket provides a convenient place to store the search head while the Covermeter is not in use.

Figure 4. Search head storage clip

3.3 Identifying search heads

The four search head types are one of two physical sizes. The Narrow Pitch and Standard heads are in a small package which fits in the rails on the top of the instrument. The Deep Cover and THD

Black cable

Red cable

ETTING STARTED

search heads are larger and do not fit in the rails. Each head is fitted with a label which identifies its type for ease of recognition. The software also shows an indication of the search head type as indicated in section 3.2.

3.4 Fitting half-cell probes

Connect the probe and cables as shown in Figure 5. The search head can be left connected to the gauge at the same time as the half-cell probe, however for ease of use it is recommended that the search head is removed and stored in the carry case.

Figure 5. Fitting half-cell probe and cables

Scrolls up/down

through menus and

lists of values

Increases/ decreases

alphanumeric

values

Increases/ decreases

sensitivity in locate

mode

Accesses menus

Escapes from

menus

Discards values

entered on display

Switches the Covermeter on or off

Selects menu items

Toggles tick boxes on/off

Confirms values entered on display

Adds reading to statistical analysis

Adds reading to batch (if batch is open)

The function of these ‘soft’ keys

varies and is defined by symbols and

text on the screen

Selects menu items

Toggles tick boxes on/off

Confirms values entered on display

Adds reading to statistical analysis

Adds reading to batch (if batch is open)

Zeros the Covermeter (only when the display shows the

reading screen)

Scrolls up through menus

and lists of values

Increases numerical values

Bar size selection (only when

the display shows the

reading screen)

Scrolls down through menus

and lists of values

Decreases numerical values

Accesses menus

Escapes from menus

Discards values entered on display

ETTING STARTED

3.5 The controls

All functions of the Covermeter can be controlled using the keypad on the main unit. There are two types of keys on the keypad; fixed function keys and ‘soft’ keys (Figure 6)..

Figure 6. Covermeter main keypad

Search head keypad

The keys on the search head mimic the functions of some of the keys on the main unit. The function of the [enter ] key and the [menu/esc] key is identical to the corresponding keys on

the main unit. The function of the [scroll up s zero 0] and [scroll down t size] keys depends upon whether the

reading screen is displayed or not.

Figure 7. Search head keypad

ETTING STARTED

3.6 Switching the Covermeter on and off

Note: Before switching the Covermeter on for the first time read “Selecting a language” on page 11.

To switch the Covermeter on, press [ ]. To switch the Covermeter off, press and hold [ ] for two seconds. The Covermeter will beep, two

single tones followed by a double tone, and will then switch off. The Covermeter includes an automatic switch off feature which will help to extend the battery life

(time between charges). The automatic switch off time can be set to OFF, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 minutes.

MENU / SETUP / AUTO SWITCH OFF

A countdown timer is displayed on the screen 60 seconds before the Covermeter automatically switches off. The timer counts down from 60 to 0 to warn you that the Covermeter is about to switch off. Press any key while the countdown timer is displayed to cancel automatic switch off.

3.7 The display

Take some time to familiarise yourself with the information shown on the display of your Covermeter. The display shows:

• Welcome information

• Measurement information

• Menus to configure the Covermeter and control functions

• Help and miscellaneous information

When the Covermeter is switched on an opening (welcome) information screenc may be displayed briefly before the main reading screen appears.

The information shown depends upon whether you are taking measurements, reviewing readings or setting up the Covermeter.

The main screen displayed (while you are taking measurements) is the Reading Screen.

c. The opening (welcome) screen can be disabled.

MENU / SETUP / OPENING SCREEN. Customised welcome screens can be created on a PC and downloaded into the gauge - see “Personalised welcome screen” on page 61.

ETTING STARTED

Reading screen (when measuring depth of cover)

1. Statistics (37) 9. Zero softkey

2. Signal strength indicator bar (18) 10. Size softkey

3. Batch name/Cell coordinates (40) 11. Search head type (6)

4. Bar size/number - input by user (25) 12. Depth of cover - Autosize estimate (26)

5. Reading out of limits indicator (36) 13. Depth of cover (22

6. Bar size - Autosize estimate (26) 14. Sensitivity/Maxpip™/Under Cover (33)

7. Batch softkey (45) 15. Battery condition indicator (5)

8. Bar softkey Refer to page numbers in brackets ( ) for more information.

Reading screen (when measuring half-cell potential)

1. Half-cell potential - bar graph (zero at centre) 3. Half-cell potential - numerical

2. Half-cell reading indicator

Symbols

A wide range of symbols is used on the display. The meaning of all these symbols is stored in the Covermeter.

MENU / ABOUT / HELP

LCD contrast

Adjust the contrast of the display to suit lighting conditions.

MENU / SETUP / LCD CONTRAST

Figure 8. Language selection

screen

ETTING STARTED

Backlight

The display includes a backlight which illuminates the display for 10 seconds after any key is pressed and during measurements. Switch the backlight on or off as required. Switching the backlight off will increase battery life.

MENU / BACKLIGHT

Time and date (Model TH only)

The time and date can be displayed on the top line of the reading screen.

MENU / SETUP / DISPLAY / SHOW TIME

3.8 Selecting a language

Your Covermeter has a number of built-in languages. When the Covermeter is switched on for the first time after dispatch from the Elcometer factory the display will show the language selection screen (Figure 8).

At first switch on

1. Press [] or [] to locate language required.

2. Press [] to activate the selected language. The Covermeter operates in the new language until

changed.

At any time

1. Switch Covermeter off.

2. Press and hold left hand softkey.

3. Press [ ] to switch on Covermeter. The display will show the language selection screen with the current language highlighted by

the cursor.

4. Release left hand softkey.

5. Press [] or [] to locate language required.

6. Press [] to activate the selected language.

Alternatively, select a language at any time.

MENU / SETUP / LANGUAGE

3.9 Computer interface

Your Covermeter is fitted with an RS232 interface. The interface is located under the interface access cover at the rear of the Covermeter - see Figure 2 and Figure 3 on page 4.

This 5-pin RS232 interface is used with the data transfer cable to connect the Covermeter to the RS232 portd of a computer. When the Covermeter is connected to a computer you can:

• Download personalised screens to the Covermeter (see “Personalised welcome screen” on page 61).

• Transfer measurement data to a PC or printer (see “Transferring readings to a computer” on page 52).

d. An RS232 to USB transfer cable is available which allows you to connect your Covermeter to a USB port on

your computer. For ordering information, see “Accessories” on page 64.

ETTING STARTED

3.10 Using the earphone

To use the earphone, plug the connector into the 3.5 mm socket marked on the front of the Covermeter. Replacement earphones are available as an optional accessory - see “Accessories” on page 64.

3.11 Zeroing the Covermeter

This action is requested by the Covermeter whenever it is switched on with a search head attached, when a cover batch is opened, on entering orthogonal SIZE mode, and periodically thereafter (at least once every 10 minutes). The user can choose to zero the instrument at any time.

If zeroing is required, the cover display is blanked, the user is prompted, and no further readings can be entered until zeroing is completed.

To zero the Covermeter, hold the search head in the air well away from any metal and press the ZERO softkey. Zeroing is complete when the ZERO softkey indicator stops flashing. Sometimes more than one press of the ZERO softkey will be required; this is quite normal.

When a half-cell probe is attached to the instrument, zeroing is not required.

THE

MENUS

4 THE MENUS

To access the menus press the MENU softkey. To return to the reading screen quickly, press and hold the MENU softkey.

THE

See “Batching/Data logging” on page 40

See “Statistics” on page 37

See “Transferring readings to a computer” on page 52

MENUS

4.1 MENU

DATA LOGGER . . . . . . . . . . . Opens Data logger menu . . . . . . . . See 4.2 DATA LOGGER

BACKLIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Toggles the display backlight on or off

STATISTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens Statistics menu . . . . . . . . . . See 4.3 STATISTICS

INSTRUMENT MODE . . . . . . Opens Instrument mode menu . . . . See 4.4 INSTRUMENT MODE

PRINT/OUTPUT. . . . . . . . . . . Opens Print/output menu . . . . . . . . See 4.5 PRINT/OUTPUT

SETUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens Setup menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . See 4.6 SETUP

ABOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens About menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . See 4.7 ABOUT

RESET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens Reset menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . See 4.8 RESET

Note: When Backlight is on, the display is illuminated for approximately 30 seconds after any key is pressed and during measurements.

4.2 DATA LOGGER

EXIT BATCHING . . . . . . . . . . Switches off data logger

OPEN NEW BATCH . . . . . . . Opens a new memory batch and starts data logger

OPEN EXISTING BATCH . . . Opens existing memory batch and starts data logger

CLONE BATCH . . . . . . . . . . . Creates a clone of an existing memory batch and starts data logger

REVIEW BATCH . . . . . . . . . . Opens an existing memory batch for viewing of readings

PLOT BATCHe. . . . . . . . . . . . Plots batch readings on the display

PLOT OPTIONSf . . . . . . . . . . Sets plot options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . See 4.9 PLOT OPTIONS

EDIT BATCH TAGS . . . . . . . . Opens an existing memory batch for editing of tags

DELETE BATCH . . . . . . . . . . Deletes one memory batch

DELETE ALL BATCHES . . . . Deletes all memory batches

FREE MEMORY . . . . . . . . . . Displays amount of free memory (%)

4.3 STATISTICS

ENLARGE STATS . . . . . . . . . Displays statistics in a larger font size

CLEAR STATS. . . . . . . . . . . . Resets to zero all statistical values

SELECT STATS. . . . . . . . . . . Opens Select stats menu . . . . . . . . See 4.10 SELECT STATS

4.4 INSTRUMENT MODE

COVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sets the instrument to measure depth of cover

HALFCELL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sets the instrument to measure half-cell potential

4.5 PRINT/OUTPUT

SINGLE BATCH . . . . . . . . . . . Prints or outputs to PC a single memory batch

ALL BATCHES . . . . . . . . . . . . Prints or outputs to PC all memory batches

CURRENT STATISTICS . . . . Prints or outputs to PC the current statistics

e. ‘Plot batch’ - available on Elcometer 331 Model TH only. f. ‘Plot options’ - available on Elcometer 331 Model TH only.

THE

See “Plot options” on page 50

MENUS

4.6 SETUP

SOUND MODE . . . . . . . . . . . Opens Sound mode menu . . . . . . . See 4.11 SOUND MODE

UNITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens Units menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . See 4.12 UNITS

LIMITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens Limits menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . See 4.13 LIMITS

CLOCKg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens Clock menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . See 4.14 CLOCK

OUTPUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens Output menu . . . . . . . . . . . . See 4.15 OUTPUT

DISPLAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens Display menu . . . . . . . . . . . See 4.16 DISPLAY

BEEP VOLUME . . . . . . . . . . . Use Scroll keys to select beep volume 0 (off) to 5 (maximum)

and then press Enter

LANGUAGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Use Scroll keys to select menu language and then press enter

AUTO SWITCH OFF . . . . . . . Use Scroll keys to select auto switch off time, 5 to 10 minutes

or off and then press Enter

OPENING SCREEN . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle the opening screen on or off

LCD CONTRAST. . . . . . . . . . Use Scroll keys to select LCD contrast, 0 to 8 and then press Enter

4.7 ABOUT

GAUGE INFORMATION . . . . Press Enter to display technical information about the

PROBE INFORMATION . . . . Press Enter to display technical information about the search

CONTACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to display Elcometer offices worldwide and

HELP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to display an explanation of all the symbols

Covermeter

head

(if programmed) Supplier contact details

used on the display

4.8 RESET

INTL GAUGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to Reset Covermeter to International settings

(DD/MM/YYYY date format, metric units, etc.)

USA GAUGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to Reset Covermeter to USA settings

(MM/DD/YYYY date format, imperial units, etc.)

Note: The Covermeter will display a Yes/No confirmation screen before reset is activated.

4.9 PLOT OPTIONS

GREYSCALE MIN/MAX . . . . Sets plot greyscale between the minimum and maximum readings

GREYSCALE LIMITS . . . . . . Sets plot greyscale between the minimum and maximum limits in

THRESHOLD VIEW . . . . . . . Sets plot to white, or black below an adjustable threshold

SET THRESHOLD . . . . . . . . Opens Set threshold menu . . . . . . . See 4.17 SET THRESHOLD

g. ‘Clock’ - available on Elcometer 331 Model TH only. h. International settings can also be activated at switch on:

Press and hold third softkey and switch on gauge.

i. USA settings can also be activated at switch on:

Press and hold fourth softkey and switch on gauge.

j. ‘Plot options’ - available on Elcometer 331 Model TH only.

in the batch

the batch

THE

See “Sound mode/Detection mode” on page 33

See “Transferring readings to a computer” on page 52

MENUS

4.10 SELECT STATS

NO. OF READINGS . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

MEAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

STD DEVIATION . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

COEF OF VARIAT’N . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

LOWEST READING. . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

HIGHEST READING . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

UNDER RANGE. . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

BELOW LIMIT . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

ABOVE LIMIT. . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

OVER RANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

BLANKk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

Note: Only two statistics from the above list can be toggled to ‘on’ at the same time.

4.11 SOUND MODE

LOCATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

MAXPIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

UNDER COVER. . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

Note: Locate cannot be toggled to ‘on’ at the same time as either Maxpip™ or Under Cover.

4.12 UNITS

COVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter, use Scroll keys to select units (mm/inch) and then

TEMPERATURE . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter, use Scroll keys to select units (°C/°F) and then

press Enter

4.13 LIMITS

LOW LIMIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens Low limit menu. . . . . . . . . . . See 4.18 LOW LIMIT

HIGH LIMIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens High limit menu . . . . . . . . . . See 4.19 HIGH LIMIT

4.14 CLOCK

TIME/DATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Use Scroll keys and Left/Right softkeys to set time and date

and then press Enter

SET DATE FORMAT . . . . . . . Opens Set date format menu . . . . . See 4.20 SET DATE FORMAT

4.15 OUTPUT

BAUD RATE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens Baud rate menu . . . . . . . . . . See 4.21 BAUD RATE

RS232 BIT IMAGE . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

RS232 PLAIN TEXT. . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

Note: RS232 Bit Image and RS232 Plain Text cannot be toggled to ‘on’ at the same time.

k. ‘Blank’ - available on Elcometer 331 Model TH only. l. ‘Clock’ - available on Elcometer 331 Model TH only.

4.16 DISPLAY

See “Plot options” on page 50

See “Setting limits” on page 36

SHOW TIMEm. . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

STATS ON LCD . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

SHOW AUTOSIZE INFO. . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

Note: Time and Stats cannot both be toggled to ‘on’ at the same time.

THE

MENUS

4.17 SET THRESHOLD

COVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter, use Scroll keys to adjust value and then press Enter

HALFCELL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter, use Scroll keys to adjust value and then press Enter

4.18 LOW LIMIT

LOW LIMIT ON . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

LOW LIMIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Use Scroll keys to adjust low limit and press Enter

4.19 HIGH LIMIT

HIGH LIMIT ON . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

HIGH LIMIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Use Scroll keys to adjust high limit and press Enter

4.20 SET DATE FORMAT

DD/MM/YYYY . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

MM/DD/YYYY . . . . . . . . . . . . Press Enter to toggle on or off

4.21 BAUD RATE

1200. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Select using Scroll keys and press Enter to select

2400. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Select using Scroll keys and press Enter to select

4800. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Select using Scroll keys and press Enter to select

9600. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Select using Scroll keys and press Enter to select

14400. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Select using Scroll keys and press Enter to select

19200. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Select using Scroll keys and press Enter to select

m. ‘Show time’ - available on Elcometer 331 Model TH only. n. ‘Set threshold’ - available on Elcometer 331 Model TH only. o. ‘Set date format’ - available on Elcometer 331 Model TH only.

OCATING REINFORCEMENT BARS

5 LOCATING REINFORCEMENT BARS

This section describes how to set up and use your Covermeter to locate reinforcement bars.

5.1 Before you start

• Are you using the correct search head? See “Search heads” on page 55.

5.2 To locate a single layer of reinforcement bars

1. Connect the search head to the Covermeter.

2. Switch on the Covermeter.

3. Ensure the instrument is set to Cover mode.

MENU / INSTRUMENT MODE / COVER

4. Zero the Covermeter.

5. Set sound mode to ‘locate’ - MENU / SETUP / SOUND MODE / LOCATEp.

6. Adjust sensitivity - see “Adjusting sensitivity” on page 34.

7. Align the search head parallel to the reinforcement bars being sought.

8. Maintain the alignment of the search head and move the search head across the search area (Figure 9).

Figure 9. Align search head and scan across bars

When the search head is approaching a reinforcement bar:

• The Covermeter will start to emit a sound which will increase in pitch as the search head

moves closer to the bar.

p. Although Locate Mode is specified here, other Sound/Detection modes are available - see “Sound mode/

Detection mode” on page 33 for further details.

Second scan

First scan

OCATING REINFORCEMENT BARS

• The signal strength indicator bar on the display will increase in length.

• The depth of cover on the display will show a number.

• The LED on the search head will start to glow. The search head is aligned directly over a reinforcement bar when:

• The pitch of the sound is at its highest.

• The signal strength indicator bar is at its maximum.

• The depth of cover is at its minimum.

• The LED is glowing at its most intense.

9. Record the position of the reinforcement bar (using chalk or similar).

5.3 To locate two layers of reinforcement bars

Layers of reinforcement bars are typically orientated at right angles to each other. To locate individual layers of reinforcement bars, carry out the procedure in section 5.2 for each layer.

If the bars in the two layers are of similar size (Figure 10):

Search for the nearer layer first; it gives a stronger signal, and is least influenced by the other bars. Then search for the second layer, this time scanning the head in lanes between the previously located positions of the first layer of bars.

• The first scan locates the nearer (top) layer.

• The second scan locates the second (bottom) layer.

Figure 10. Scanning layers of bars of equal size

If the bars in the nearer layer are thin compared with those in the deeper layer (Figure 11):

Search for the deeper layer first; it gives a stronger signal, and is least influenced by the other bars. Then search for the nearer layer, this time scanning the head in lanes between the now-known positions of the deeper layer of bars.

• The first scan locates the second (bottom) layer.

First scan

Second scan

OCATING REINFORCEMENT BARS

• The second scan locates the nearer (top) layer.

Figure 11. Scanning layers of bars of different size

(This situation is typical of a nearer layer consisting of relatively thin tie-wires or stirrups, and the deeper layer consisting of much larger main structural bars.)

5.4 To determine the orientation of a reinforcement bar

1. Locate the position of the reinforcement bar - see “To locate a single layer of reinforcement bars” on page 18.

2. Hold the search head over the bar. Move the search head side-to-side and rotate the head clockwise/anti-clockwise until the signal is at a maximum (Figure 12).

When the signal is at its maximum, the search head is aligned parallel with the reinforcement bar.

Figure 12. Determining orientation of a reinforcement bar

5.5 Practice

Because your Covermeter is unaffected by the nature of the material covering the reinforcing bars, the easiest way to practice location and orientation technique is to use uncovered bars which you

OCATING REINFORCEMENT BARS

can see. A block of wood or plastic 20 mm to 45 mm thick can be held between the search head and the bars to simulate the depth of concrete cover.

Start from the simplest situation, a single straight bar, and progress through parallel bars, lapped bars, and crossing bars. As you develop skill and confidence with uncovered bars, move on to locating bars in more realistic situations.

5.6 Surface mapping

When you are locating layers of reinforcement bars it is good practice to ‘map’ the concrete surface in a systematic manner. The following steps describe a mapping technique which can be used to locate two layers of reinforcement bars at right angles to each other.

1. Hold search head horizontally. Scan up and down to locate (predominantly) horizontal bars.

2. Hold search head vertically. Scan from side to side between horizontal bars to locate vertical bars.

Note: In some situations, it will be more appropriate to scan first for the vertical bars and then the horizontal bars.

EASURING DEPTH OF COVER

6 MEASURING DEPTH OF COVER

This section describes how to set up and use your Covermeter to measure the depth of cover over reinforcement bars.

6.1 Before you start

• Are you using the correct search head? See “Search heads” on page 55.

• Do you require statistics? See “Statistics” on page 37.

• Do you want to save readings in memory? See “Batching/Data logging” on page 40.

• What units of measurement do you want to use? See “SETUP” on page 15.

6.2 Procedure

1. Connect the search head to the Covermeter.

2. Switch on the Covermeter.

3. Ensure the instrument is set to Cover mode.

MENU / INSTRUMENT MODE / COVER

4. Select bar diameter - see “Selecting bar size” on page 25.

5. Zero the Covermeter.

6. Set sound mode to ‘locate’ - MENU / SETUP / SOUND MODE / LOCATEq.

7. Adjust sensitivity - see “Adjusting sensitivity” on page 34.

8. Locate the reinforcement bar using the sound, the LED and the display as indicators. The reading of cover is continuously updated on the display in large digits. If AutoSize is

switched on ( MENU / SETUP / DISPLAY / SHOW AUTOSIZE INFO), smaller bracketed readings show the estimate of the bar size (autosize) and the corresponding depth of cover. If the autosize calculation cannot be performed because the signal is too small (cover too great), the autosize and autosize depth of cover readings are blanked (the display shows ‘--’).

9. Compare the bar diameter with the autosize bar diameter. If the two numbers are significantly different, stop depth of cover measurement and measure the bar size using the Orthogonal method - see “Measuring size of reinforcement bars (orthogonal)” on page 27.

q. Although Locate Mode is specified here, other Sound/Detection modes are available - see “Sound mode/

Detection mode” on page 33 for further details.

EASURING DEPTH OF COVER

10. If the bar diameter and the autosize bar diameter correspond and you are satisfied that the

search head is directly over the reinforcement bar, either move on to the next bar or press [].

6.3 What happens when you press Enter []

1. The cover reading is entered into the current statistical analysis.

2. If a batch is open, the reading is saved into a memory location. The Covermeter will then advance (scroll) to the next memory location. When the last memory location of a row in a gridr is reached, the Covermeter will advance to the first memory location

of the next row (Figure 13). When the final memory location in a grid or linear batch is filled, the Covermeter closes the batch and exits batching.

Refer to “The BATCH softkey” on page 45 for information on how to navigate around a batch and review, delete, overwrite and skip memory locations while you are taking readings.

3. The Covermeter will beep:

Model SH:

• Single beep - reading taken.

• Triple beep - reading taken in last memory location of the batch.

• Triple beeps (higher pitch) - reading taken is outside limits if limits have been set

( MENU / SETUP / LIMITS).

Model TH:

• Single beep - reading taken.

• Double beep - reading taken in last memory location of a row in a grid.

• Triple beep - reading taken in last memory location of the grid.

• Triple beept (higher pitch) - reading taken is outside limits if limits have been set

( MENU / SETUP / LIMITS).

Figure 13. Beeps (*) and scrolling on a 6x3 grid batch

r. Grid batches - available on Elcometer 331 Model TH only. s. The LED in the search head will also flash to indicate an ‘out of limits’ reading. t. The LED in the search head will also flash to indicate an ‘out of limits’ reading.

EASURING DEPTH OF COVER

6.4 Accuracy

The reading of cover will only be accurate if all the following conditions are satisfied:

• The instrument has been zeroed.

• The search head is over the centre-line of the bar.

• The search head is parallel to the bar.

• The search head is not over, or near, any other bars which might affect the readingu.

• The manually entered bar size has been confirmed as being accurate by comparing with the autosize estimate.

If the reinforcement bar is too deep to measure successfully (over-range), the depth of cover will be displayed as infinite (Figure 14).

Figure 14. Depth of cover over-range (infinite)

u. If reinforcement bars are too close together to measure with the standard search head, try using the narrow

pitch search head. See “Accessories” on page 64 for ordering details.

ELECTING BAR SIZE

7 SELECTING BAR SIZE

The dimensions of reinforcement bars are stored within the Covermeter. The dimensions are grouped into four standard series; Metric, Imperial, ASTM/Canadian and Japanese.

To select bar size, display the reading screen and press the BAR softkey to access Bar Size selection:

• To select bar size, press the SERIES softkey. Use [] or [] to select the appropriate series (Metric, Imperial, ASTM/Canadian or Japanese). Press [] to accept the bar series and then use [] or [] to adjust the bar size. Press [] to accept the bar size and return to the Reading Screen.

Metric Imperial ASTM/Canadian Japanese

Bar size

Diam. (mm)

Bar size

Diam. (inch)

Bar size

5 5 #2 0.250 10M 100 6 6

5.5 5.5 #3 0.375 15M 200 10 10 6 6 #4 0.500 20M 300 13 13 7 7 #5 0.625 25M 500 16 16 8 8 #6 0.750 30M 700 19 19 9 9 #7 0.875 35M 1000 22 22 10 10 #8 1.000 45M 1500 25 25 11 11 #9 1.125 55M 2500 29 29 12 12 #10 1.250 32 32 14 14 #11 1.375 35 35 16 16 #12 1.500 38 38 18 18 #13 1.625 41 41 20 20 #14 1.750 44 44 22 22 #15 1.875 48 48 25 25 #16 2.000 51 51 28 28 #18 2.250 57 57 32 32 36 36 40 40 44 44 50 50

The bar sizing functions of the Covermeter will display any measured bar size to the nearest size in the selected series.

Area

(mm2)

Bar size

Diam (mm)

Bar size Depth of cover

UTOSIZING

8 AUTOSIZING

Your Covermeter includes AutoSize - a feature which automatically calculates an estimate of the size of a reinforcement bar and the depth of cover. The autosize estimated values are displayed on the reading screen in a small font size alongside standard readings.

Figure 15. Autosize bar size estimate and depth of cover

You do not need to configure anything to use autosize; just switch it on and off as required.

MENU / SETUP / DISPLAY / SHOW AUTOSIZE INFO

The values of bar size and depth of cover provided by autosize are estimates only and are independent of the value of bar size you have entered.

The autosize bar size estimate is typically used as a check that the value of bar size entered manually is accurate. If the two values are significantly different, you should use the orthogonal SIZE feature to determine accurately the bar size - see “Measuring size of reinforcement bars (orthogonal)” on page 27.

When the search head is not directly over a reinforcement bar, the autosizing values are meaningless and should be ignored.

If the signal is too small the autosize and autosize cover readings are blanked (-- displayed). In congested situations, autosizing will tend to over-estimate bar diameter, correctly reflecting the

fact that there is a greater mass of metal present than a single bar. Nevertheless, autosizing will continue to give an essentially correct value for the cover.

In the case of lapped bars, autosizing will typically show double the true diameter of a single bar, but the correct cover, which is generally the desired result.

EASURING SIZE OF REINFORCEMENT BARS (ORTHOGONAL

9 MEASURING SIZE OF REINFORCEMENT BARS (ORTHOGONAL)

Although the Covermeter includes the AutoSize feature (see page 26), a separate ‘orthogonal’ SIZE function is included for accurate measurement of bar size.

The orthogonal SIZE function is intended to be used to determine the diameter of a (single) reinforcement bar. Although the associated cover will also be displayed, this function is not intended to be used for scanning areas.

Orthogonal sizing can be performed at greater depths than the AutoSize function. The following sections describe how to use the SIZE function.

9.1 Before you start

• Are you using the correct search head? See “Search heads” on page 55.

• What units of measurement do you want to use? See “SETUP” on page 15.

9.2 Procedure

1. Connect the search head to the Covermeter.

2. Switch on the Covermeter.

3. Ensure the instrument is set to Cover mode.

MENU / INSTRUMENT MODE / COVER

)

4. Zero the Covermeter.

5. Set sound mode to ‘locate’ - MENU / SETUP / SOUND MODE / LOCATE.

6. Press the SIZE softkey. The display will show:

7. Adjust sensitivity - see “Adjusting sensitivity” on page 34.

8. Locate the exact position and orientation of the reinforcement bar using the sound, the LED and the display as indicators - see “Locating reinforcement bars” on page 18.

EASURING SIZE OF REINFORCEMENT BARS (ORTHOGONAL

)

9. Position the search head parallel and in line with the reinforcement bar (Figure 16). The sound/ signal will be at a maximum.

Figure 16. Search head parallel and in line with bar

10. Press []. The display will show:

11. Rotate the search head until it is at 90° (orthogonal) to the bar. Use the notches in the sides of the search head and the line across the top of the search head to aid alignment (Figure 17). The sound/signal will be at a minimum when the search head is aligned at 90° to the bar and the notches/line are in line with the bar.

Figure 17. Search head aligned at 90°

12. When the search head is aligned correctly with the reinforcement bar, press []. The Covermeter will display a depth of cover and a bar size.

EASURING SIZE OF REINFORCEMENT BARS (ORTHOGONAL

13. If you are satisfied with the bar size, press [] to set the Covermeter to use this size. If you are

not satisfied with the bar size, press [menu/esc] to return to the reading screen without making any changes.

If the orthogonal size calculation fails (e.g. because of incorrect search head positioning or because the bar is too deep), an error is reported with the option to retry the procedure.

9.3 Accuracy

In common with all bar-sizing methods, the orthogonal SIZE function is sensitive to errors in search head positioning and also to the proximity of neighbouring bars (the pitch of the bars).

The net result of the error-generating influences listed below is that the estimated bar size (and cover) will be too high. Hence the displayed result should be taken as an upper limit, never as a lower limit.

Head-positioning

When taking the parallel reading (Figure 16), the search head should be getting the maximum possible signal from the bar; any misalignment of the search head in either angle or position can only reduce this signal.

When taking the orthogonal reading (Figure 17), the search head should be getting the minimum possible signal from the bar; any misalignment of the search head in either angle or position can only increase this signal.

Therefore, either form of positioning error will always result in the diameter being over-estimated (and so too will be the cover).

Neighbouring bars

Any other metal within range of the search head will increase both the (orthogonal and parallel) readings by an unknown amount, but not necessarily the same for both readings. In practice, since the orthogonal signal is the weaker of the two, it is more susceptible to ‘interference’, and so the estimated diameter will probably again be too high.

Although, in normal use, transverse bars have comparatively little effect on the cover obtained, these same transverse bars will have a serious effect on this bar-sizing method: when the search head is rotated to take the orthogonal reading, the signal from the bar under investigation decreases, but the signal from any nearby transverse bars increases. Again, the result is a (possibly significant) over-estimation of bar diameter. In particular, orthogonal sizing should never be attempted over the crossing-point of transverse bars.

Neighbouring parallel bars, whilst not causing such drastic effects as transverse ones, should nevertheless be taken into consideration. When the search head is rotated to the orthogonal position, such bars will become nearer to the ends of the search head than they were to its sides.

Welded mesh

Orthogonal sizing should not be attempted on welded mesh fabric; the orthogonal reading will receive an additional signal from the rectangular loop of bars. This will result in a gross overestimate of bar-size (or even the ‘SIZE MODE ERROR’ message).

)

Transverse bars are close together

EASURING SIZE OF REINFORCEMENT BARS (ORTHOGONAL

)

9.4 Reducing errors when orthogonal sizing

This technique improves the accuracy of orthogonal sizing of bars where the nearest parallel bars appear to be adequately distant, but the transverse bars are closer togetherv. This situation is illustrated in Figure 18 where position X is the measurement position.

Figure 18. Measurement position

The technique involves zeroing the Covermeter with the search head held close to the concrete:

1. Hold the search head in contact with the concrete surface. The centre of the search head should be in the centre of the space between the bars as shown in Figure 19.

Figure 19. Zeroing

2. Press the ZERO softkey to zero the Covermeter.

3. Move the search head to the measurement position and then carry out orthogonal sizing as previously described in section 9.2 on page 27.

The aim of this technique is to subtract the ‘background metal’ signal; but it only provides an estimate of that background. As a result, it tends to over-compensate for the errors and therefore may result in an under-estimate of bar size (and cover).

Nevertheless, comparison with results from orthogonal sizing conducted with a standard zeroing technique can be used to get a slightly pessimistic estimate of the probable error (or degree of confidence) in the result.

v. In this situation, accuracy may also be improved by using a Narrow Pitch search head.

EASURING HALF-CELL POTENTIAL

10 MEASURING HALF-CELL POTENTIAL

Your Covermeter is capable of measuring half-cell potential - an electrochemical technique commonly used to assess the severity of corrosion in reinforced concrete structures. When set to half-cell mode, your Covermeter acts as a voltmeter which measures the potential difference between the steel reinforcement in the concrete structure and a reference electrode (the half-cell) placed on the surface of the concrete.

Half-cell readings can be stored in memory in batches in the same way as readings of cover.

10.1 Before you start

• Are you using the correct half-cell probe? See “Half-cell probes” on page 59.

• Do you require statistics? See “Statistics” on page 37.

• Do you want to save readings in memory? See “Batching/Data logging” on page 40.

10.2 Procedure

1. Use the Covermeter to locate a reinforcing bar.

2. Expose the bar, e.g. by drilling through the cover using a large drill.

3. Drill a small diameter hole into the bar suitable for attachment of the positive (red) cable using a screw or lead plug.

4. Mark out a grid on the concrete. Measurements will be taken at the intersection points of the grid. Typical grid spacing is 1 m x 1 m, however this may be reduced if localised corrosion is suspected. If the measured half-cell potential between two adjacent positions differs by more than 100 mV, it is recommended that the grid spacing is reduced.

5. If necessary, use tap water to wet the whole of the test area, or just the measurement positions.

6. Connect the red cable and extension reel between the exposed reinforcing bar and the red terminal on the Covermeter (Figure 20). Connect the black cable between the probe and the black terminal on the Covermeter.

7. Switch on the Covermeter.

8. Ensure the instrument is set to Half-cell mode

MENU / INSTRUMENT MODE / HALFCELL

9. Remove the end cap from the probe and store the cap safely.

10. Press the electrode against the concrete surface.

11. View the reading of half-cell potential on the display.

12. If you are satisfied with the reading, either move on to the next measurement location or press Enter [].

EASURING HALF-CELL POTENTIAL

Figure 20. Typical instrument configuration for half-cell measurements

10.3 What happens when you press Enter []

1. The half-cell potential reading is entered into the current statistical analysis.

2. If a batch is open, the reading is saved into a memory location. The Covermeter will then advance (scroll) to the next memory location. When the last memory

location of a row in a gridw is reached, the Covermeter will advance to the first memory location of the next row (Figure 13). When the final memory location in a grid or linear batch is filled, the Covermeter closes the batch and exits batching.

Refer to “The BATCH softkey” on page 45 for information on how to navigate around a batch and review, delete, overwrite and skip memory locations while you are taking readings.

3. The Covermeter will beep:

Model SH:

• Single beep - reading taken.

• Triple beep - reading taken in last memory location of the batch.

• Triple beep (higher pitch) - reading taken is outside limitsx if limits have been set

( MENU / SETUP / LIMITS).

Model TH:

w. Grid batches - available on Elcometer 331 Model TH only. x. Typically, a low limit will be applied at the threshold that would indicate corrosion e.g. -350 mV. Any readings

lower (more negative) than this would then cause an alarm and be tagged as below limit in the statistics and/ or the batch.

OUND MODE/DETECTION MODE

• Single beep - reading taken.

• Double beep - reading taken in last memory location of a row in a grid.

• Triple beep - reading taken in last memory location of the grid.

• Triple beep (higher pitch) - reading taken is outside limitsy if limits have been set ( MENU / SETUP / LIMITS).

Figure 21. Beeps (*) and scrolling on a 6x3 grid batch

10.4 Measuring cell-to-cell rather than cell-to-bar

In some instances it will not be possible to make a direct connection to a reinforcing bar. In this situation it is common practice to use two half-cell probes connected to the inputs of the Covermeter. One probe is fixed in position on the concrete surface and the other probe is moved over the surface. In this way the surface can be ‘mapped’.

Using this method, the absolute value of the reinforcing bar to concrete half-cell will not be measurable, however changes from one point on the surface to the next can be measured and interpreted.

11 SOUND MODE/DETECTION MODE

Note: The settings in Sound Mode are applicable to measurement of concrete cover only - they have no affect when measuring half-cell potential.

Your Covermeter indicates the presence of a reinforcement bar visually and audibly:

• The DISPLAY indicates the presence of a reinforcement bar in the form of a signal strength indicator bar and a depth of cover reading.

• The LED on the search head starts to glow as the search head is brought near a reinforcement bar. The intensity of the LED increases as the search head gets closer to the bar.

• Although the display and the LED indications are important, it is likely that you will also rely upon the SOUND emitted by the internal speaker. This is the main indication of the presence of a reinforcement bar.

y. Typically, a low limit will be applied at the threshold that would indicate corrosion e.g. -350 mV. Any readings

lower (more negative) than this would then cause an alarm and be tagged as below limit in the statistics and/ or the batch.

SOUND MODE

LOCATE



MAXPIP



UNDER COVER



OUND MODE/DETECTION MODE

Your Covermeter has three sound/detection modes; Locate, Maxpip™ and Under Cover.

MENU / SETUP / SOUND MODE

11.1 Locate

In this mode, the pitch of the sound from the Covermeter increases as the search head gets closer to a bar.

Sound volume can be adjusted - MENU / SETUP / BEEP VOLUME The apparent volume of the sound can also be adjusted by changing the sensitivity setting.

Adjusting sensitivity

The sensitivity setting is indicated by the variable wedge-shaped symbol on

the display. To increase the sensitivity, press []. To decrease the

sensitivity, press [].

Typically, set the sensitivity to produce a slow ‘clicking’ sound in the absence of metal. With the sensitivity set at this level you will be able to differentiate quickly between bars of the same size located at different depths.

If the sensitivity is optimised, the pitch of the sound will consistently give a good guide to the extent of cover; shallower-than-average bars will produce a clearly noticeable, more intense sound, which will draw your attention to such bars. However, if the sensitivity has been adjusted to an arbitrary level, the necessary degree of consistency may not be achieved.

To improve audible resolution when locating closely spaced reinforcement bars it may be beneficial to reduce the sensitivity below the optimum level described in the previous paragraphs.

It is also possible to reduce sensitivity deliberately so that bars of adequate cover are not indicated, but bars of shallower cover are. You may find this technique to be a simpler and quicker method (albeit somewhat less precise) than the Under Cover mode described later; but please note that both methods share the same disadvantage that they only indicate bars with shallow cover, but do not confirm the presence of bars with adequate or deeper cover.

During a search the sound from the speaker and the brightness of the LED may reach their maximum level before the signal has reached its maximum. If this occurs, reduce the sensitivity until the sound and LED are again responding readily to changes.

Note: Reducing the sensitivity does not reduce the overall sensitivity of the instrument, but will reduce the sound and LED indications to zero when the search head is removed from the region of high signal strength. This may cause deeply covered bars to be missed.

If the sensitivity is reduced to the minimum setting, the locate sound is muted (indicated by a crossed-out loudspeaker symbol on the screen).

The sensitivity setting only affects the locate sound and the brightness of the LED on the search head; it does not affect the cover measurement or the size measurement.

OUND MODE/DETECTION MODE

11.2 Maxpip™

This is an alternative method of locating the centre of each reinforcement bar. In this mode, an audio 'pip' is given each time the middle of a reinforcement bar is detected as the surface is scanned.

An icon on the main measurement display indicates that Maxpip™ mode is active. When Maxpip™ mode is active, the normal locate sound is suppressed.

In practice, since it is not possible to be sure that you have reached maximum signal until the signal has started to decrease again, the pip always occurs just after you have passed the actual position of the bar, and this inevitable lag varies with scanning speed. Therefore the Locate mode is far superior for audible location.

11.3 Under Cover

Under Cover mode enables you to set a minimum depth of cover. In this mode, the Covermeter will signal a continuous alarm sound if the depth of cover of the reinforcement bar is less than the minimum.

An icon on the main measurement display indicates that Under Cover mode is active. When Under Cover mode is active, the normal locate sound is suppressed.

The Lower Limit (from the LIMITS menu) is used as the Under Cover threshold.

When Under Cover mode is active, the Low Limit is displayed and activated and may be adjusted. If Low Limit is switched off ( MENU / SETUP / LIMITS / LOW LIMIT), Under Cover mode will be switched off also.

Under Cover mode cannot be selected at the same time as Locate mode. Maxpip™ and Under Cover modes can both be used simultaneously. When Locate mode is

selected, Maxpip™ and Under Cover mode will both be switched off. A bar of larger size than expected (rather than a bar at shallower cover) may trigger the Under

Cover alarm; however, having drawn your attention, you will be able to see from the autosize information on the display just what is under the search head.

Note that although the Under Cover mode is a useful feature, it has some limitations which should not be ignored. Probably the most important, is that it will not distinguish between;

• a bar which is correctly present at more than minimum cover, and

• a bar which is completely missing!

Similarly, a bar (or tie-wire) at just less than minimum cover, but of smaller diameter than that set, may also fail to signal.

It is worth noting that this is not the only way of rapidly recognising reinforcement bars with less than the usual amount of cover. “Locate” on page 34 describes how the ordinary sound signal will give a noticeably more intense sound whenever the search head passes over a reinforcement bar which is shallower than its neighbours. This is possibly a simpler way of drawing your attention to rogue reinforcement bars without the need to use the Under Cover mode.

LOW LIMIT

LOW LIMIT ON



LOW LIMIT mm/mV

HIGH LIMIT

HIGH LIMIT ON



HIGH LIMIT mm/mV

Reading is less than lower limit Reading is greater than upper limit

ETTING LIMITS

12 SETTING LIMITS

Low and High limits can be set by the user to monitor whether depth of cover or half-cell potential is within specifications.

MENU / SETUP / LIMITS

Set the limit value and toggle the tick box to switch the limit on or off. Limits for cover and for half-cell potential are stored in separate memory locations within your

Covermeter and are therefore retained as the mode is switched between cover and half-cell. With limits switched on, when you take a reading which is within the limits, the Covermeter will beep

once. When you take a reading which is outside the limits, the Covermeter will beep three times to warn you of an out-of-limit reading.

When limits are switched on, any readings taken which are outside a limit are indicated on the reading screen by an arrow icon; or .

When batching is switched on and limits are switched on, readings in a batch which are outside the limits are marked as follows:

• Down arrow icon if the reading is below the low limit.

• Up arrow icon if the reading is above the high limit.

TATISTICS

13 STATISTICS

Your Covermeter has a Statistics feature which calculates and displays a statistical analysis of readings as they are taken.

Statistics values are also calculated for the readings within a batch and these values are stored in the batch.

To enter a reading into the statistical analysis while you are taking measurements, press [].

Table 1: Calculated statistics values

Number of Readings

Mean

Standard Deviation

Coefficient of Variation

Lowest Reading

Highest Reading

The running value for the number of readings taken in a group.

The average of a group of readings; the sum of the individual readings divided by the number of readings.

A statistical measure of the spread of values in a group of readings.

The standard deviation divided by the mean for a group of readings, expressed as a percentage.

The value of the lowest reading taken in a group.

The value of the highest reading taken in a group.

Under range The number and percentage of readings under range.

Low limit The number and percentage of readings below the low limit.

Within limits The number and percentage of readings within limits.

High limit The number and percentage of readings above the high limit.

Over range The number and percentage of readings over range (or infinite).

Blank readings

Number and percentage of blank readings (skipped/not recorded/ deleted).

STATISTICS

ENLARGE STATS CLEAR STATS



SELECT STATS

TATISTICS

Over range, under range and blankz readings are not included in the calculation of mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, lowest reading and highest reading (neither are they counted in number of readings taken).

To access statistics, open the Statistics menu.

MENU / STATISTICS

13.1 Viewing statistics

Statistics values can be viewed in a number of ways:

• As you are taking measurements, any two of the statistics values in Table 1 on page 37 can be displayed on the reading screen.

MENU / SETUP / DISPLAY / STATS ON LCD

• At any point while taking measurements, any two or all of the statistics values can be displayed in enlarged format.

MENU / STATISTICS / ENLARGE STATS

• When a batch has been created, statistics values for the batch can be displayed on the reading review screen.

MENU / DATA LOGGER / REVIEW BATCH

13.2 Enlarge stats

Displays the chosen statistical values as double-height characters (Figure 22). Press ALL and use [] and [] to view all statistical values. Press [menu/esc] to return to the Reading Screen.

Figure 22. Enlarged statistics

13.3 Clear stats

Resets to zero all statistical values. Press YES to confirm or NO to cancel. Clear stats is not available while a batch is openaa.

z. ‘Blank readings’ - Elcometer 331 Model TH only. aa. Opening a new or existing batch will also cause all current statistical values to be reset to zero.

13.4 Select stats

SELECT STATS

NO. OF READINGS



MEAN



STD DEVIATION



COEF OF VARIAT’N



LOWEST READING



HIGHEST READING



UNDER RANGE



BELOW LIMIT



ABOVE LIMIT



OVER RANGE



BLANK



Allows the user to choose which statistics values are displayed on the reading screen during measurement.

Use [] and [] to move the cursor and press [] to select or deselect the statistics values.

Only two statistics values can be selected and displayed on the reading screen at the same time. To view all statistics values choose:

MENU / STATISTICS / ENLARGE STATS / ALL

On Elcometer 331 Model TH, the selected statistics values will only be displayed on the reading screen if the display of time and date is not selected:

MENU / SETUP / DISPLAY / SHOW TIME

Note: ‘Blank’ - Elcometer 331 Model TH only.

TATISTICS

ATCHING/DATA LOGGING

14 BATCHING/DATA LOGGING

Your Covermeter includes internal memory which can be used to save depth of cover and half-cell readings. Use this memory to save your readings as you take them; this will help to increase your productivity on site and reduce the need to rely on paper and pen to record your results.

All readings saved into the memory of your Covermeter are stored in ‘batches’. Typically, a single batch is used to store readings from a particular area or location on a site.

There are two types of batch; ‘linear’ and ‘grid’. Which type of batch you can use depends upon the model of Covermeter you have:

• Elcometer 331 Model SH - linear batches only

• Elcometer 331 Model TH - linear

and

grid batches

Users of Model SH Covermeters can create linear batches only. Users of Model TH Covermeters must define whether a batch is to be in linear ( ) or grid ( ) format when the batch is first opened (created).

14.1 Linear batches

A linear batch of memory locations is similar to a single row or column of cells on a spreadsheet:

30 33 29 28 35 30 30 27 28 31 33

Maximum number of readings in a linear batch: 1000 Maximum number of linear batches: 10 (Model SH Covermeters)

200 (Model TH Covermeters)

14.2 Grid batches

Note: The instructions given in this section (14.2) apply to Elcometer 331 Model TH only. Users of Elcometer 331 Model SH can upgrade their instrument to model TH to gain this functionality contact Elcometer or your local supplier for details.

Grid batches are typically used when you are surveying large areas of concrete. A grid batch of memory locations is similar to the grid of cells marked out by the rows and columns

of a spreadsheet:

A B C D E F G H I J K L

30 33 30 27 28 31 33 35 32 30 30

29 27 28 31 33 35 32 30 30 27 28

30 27 28 31 33 35 32 28 30 27 28

35 27 28 31 33 35 32 30 29 27 28

Maximum size of a grid batch: 255 rows x 255 columns Maximum number of grid batches: 1000 Maximum total number of readings: 240 000 Memory locations in a grid batch are referred to by their column letter and row number, for instance

A1, F4, etc. Grid batches are typically used to save readings when surveying a large area of concrete:

• On the concrete, mark out a pre-defined grid of squares, typically of 0.5 m pitch. This is an arbitrary grid which does not necessarily align with the reinforcement bars.

ATCHING/DATA LOGGING

• Use the Covermeter to locate and measure the minimum area of cover within each grid cell, or the cover to the reinforcement bar nearest to each grid-point, depending upon your survey procedures.

• Store the results in a grid batch corresponding to the grid of squares (press [] to enter a reading while the batch is open).

• If required, create a separate batch

of the same name

configured for half-cell and store corresponding half-cell potential measurements for each location. This allows the batches to be grouped for production of reports which combine cover and half-cell readings using CoverMaster® software - see “CoverMaster software” on page 53.

14.3 What does a batch contain?

Each batch stores three types of information:

• header fields (information entered by the user - see below)

• readings (entered automatically by the 331 as you are taking measurements)

• statistics (entered automatically by the 331 as you are taking measurements)

Table 2: Batch contents

Symbol Symbol meaning Typical contents

Batch name

001-1 or Survey-01

Batch type (Cover or half-cell)

Batch format ( or )

Number of columns (nx)

Number of rows (ny)

10 (only displayed for batches) 10 (only displayed for batches)

Number of readings taken (n) 96

Site Humber Bridge

Location North Pier

Area AA/123/4-001

Grid spacing (size of each grid square) 500 mm

Bar size/diameter 18 mm

Batch creation date/time 09:30 17/01/06

Batch update date/time 14:15 19/01/06

Low limit 20 mm

Entered by

User 331



High limit 35 mm



ATCHING/DATA LOGGING

Table 2: Batch contents

Symbol Symbol meaning Typical contents

Half-cell type

CU/CUSO4 AG/AGCL

Temperature 20°C

Engineer M. Smith

Customer

Highways Department

Lowest reading

Highest reading

Mean

Standard deviation

x (y%) < z mm

x (y%)

Number and percentage of readings below the lower limit, together with the limit value (if any). Number and percentage of readings within limits. Number and percentage of readings above the

x (y%) > z mm

upper limit, together with the limit value (if any).

x (y%)

Number and percentage of blank readings (if any). Number and percentage of under-range

x (y%) <<

readings (if any), together with the lowest measurable cover for the current bar size and search head. Number and percentage of over-range

x (y%)

(infinite) readings (if any), together with the highest measurable cover for the current bar size and search head.

Notes Survey top only

The following additional symbols may be seen on the reading review screen:

The reading is under range (not measurable)

The reading is less than the low limit

The reading is greater than the high limit

The reading is over range (not measurable)

Blank reading (memory location is empty) -

Model TH only

Entered by

User 331



DATA LOGGER

EXIT BATCHING OPEN NEW BATCH OPEN EXISTING BATCH CLONE BATCH REVIEW BATCH PLOT BATCH PLOT OPTIONS EDIT BATCH TAGS DELETE BATCH DELETE ALL BATCHES FREE MEMORY

ATCHING/DATA LOGGING

a. Two batches are permitted to have the same name provided they are of different types. This feature can be

used to associate cover and half-cell surveys of the same area on the PC during analysis using Covermaster software. If a new batch is created with a name and type matching an existing batch, the instrument beeps and returns to the name editing screen.

Note: Column, rows and grid spacing - Elcometer 331 Model TH only.

14.4 Saving your readings in memory

To use the memory you will need to understand how to use the Data Logger.

MENU / DATA LOGGER

To use a batch of memory it is first necessary to open (create) a batch - see 14.6 below. Once the batch has been opened you can then save your readings into that batch as you take them.

To save a reading when a batch is open, press []. You may exit batching at any time; once you exit batching

(and hence the Covermeter is not data logging), readings will no longer be saved.

MENU / DATA LOGGER / EXIT BATCHING

The following sections describe how to configure and use the Data Logger.

14.5 Exit batching

Switches off batching (the data logger). No further readings are saved, the display reverts to the reading screen and the BATCH softkey disappears.

14.6 Open new batch

Opens (creates) a new memory batch. The Covermeter uses the most recently created batch as a template for the new batch. The batch

name is based upon the alphanumeric value of the last batch created, but all other header fields are left blank - see “What does a batch contain?” on page 41.

1. Enter information in the header fields (including the batch name) as requiredab - see “How to enter information into batch header fields” on page 47.

2. When you are happy with the details you have added or changed, press to create the batch. The display switches to the reading screen and then starts batching (the BATCH softkey appears on the reading screen).

3. Zero the Covermeter if requested.

14.7 Open existing batch

Opens an existing memory batch.

1. Use Left/Right softkeys [] to scroll to the required batch.

ab. If a new batch is created with a name matching an existing batch, the instrument beeps and returns to the

name editing screen.

ATCHING/DATA LOGGING

2. Press [] to select the batch. When the batch has been opened, the display switches to the reading screen and then starts batching (the BATCH softkey appears on the reading screen). Readings in the existing batch can then be amended, deleted and added.

3. Zero the Covermeter if requested.

14.8 Clone batch/Copy batch information

Creates a clone (a copy) of an existing memory batch. Cloning a batch allows the contents of an existing batch to be copied (everything is copied except

for the readings). Cloning is typically used on site to create new batches without having to re-enter batch header details such as the name of the site, the engineer, the customer, etc.

When the new batch has been created by pressing , the display switches to the reading screen and then starts batching (the BATCH softkey appears on the reading screen).

1. Use Left/Right softkeys [] to scroll to the batch you want to clone.

2. Press [] to select the batch.

3. Adjust information in the header fields as required (you must give the batch a nameab which does not already exist) - see “How to enter information into batch header fields” on page 47.

4. Press to create the clone.

5. Zero the Covermeter if requested.

14.9 Review batch

Opens any existing memory batch for viewing of batch header information, readings and statistics. Also allows individual readings to be deleted.

1. Use Left/Right softkeys [] to scroll to the batch you want to review.

2. Press [] to select batch.

3. Review readings using the scroll keys to move around the contents of a batch.

Press and hold the Shift softkey [ ] and then press any of the Scroll keys to jump quickly to the start or end of line of readings. Press [] to toggle between;

• REVIEW BATCH - shows header fields and statistics, and

• depth of cover readings. To delete a readingac press the Delete softkey [ ].

4. Press [menu/esc] once to select another batch (using []), press [menu/esc] again to return to the Data Logger menu.

As you scroll between batches using the Left/Right softkeys [], the same page of information is shown for each batch. This feature makes it particularly easy to identify, for example, batches from a particular customer/location, or batches with readings outside limits.

A bracketed asterisk [*] next to the batch name indicates that this is the batch currently open (if any). A complete list of the information given on a review batch screen is given in “What does a batch

contain?” on page 41.

ac. When readings are removed (either over-written or deleted) from a very large batch, some statistics values

may be replaced by a ‘-’ until the batch is recalculated. To force a batch to be recalculated, exit batching (MENU / DATA LOGGER / EXIT BATCHING) and then re-open the batch (MENU / DATA LOGGER / OPEN EXISTING BATCH). Invalid statistics (PLEASE WAIT) will be shown on the display while the recalculation takes place.

14.10 Plot batch

See “Plotting batches” on page 49

ATCHING/DATA LOGGING

14.11 Plot options

See “Plotting batches” on page 49

14.12 Edit batch tags

Same as ‘Review batch’ but allows editing of some of the batch contents. A moveable cursor is shown next to any entries which can be modified. Pressing Enter opens that

tag for editing.

14.13 Delete batch

Deletes one memory batch.

1. Use Left/Right softkeys [] to scroll to the batch you want to delete.

2. Press [] to delete batch. The Covermeter displays a confirmation screen.

3. Press Yes to confirm deletion, No to cancel.

14.14 Delete all batches

Deletes all batches from the Covermeter and stops batching.

1. The Covermeter displays a confirmation screen.

2. Press Yes to confirm deletion, No to cancel.

14.15 Free memory

Displays the amount of free memory (%) and then returns to the reading screen after 2 seconds.

14.16 The BATCH softkey

The BATCH softkey provides rapid access to the readings in a batch as you are taking them.

The BATCH softkey is only displayed on the reading screen when a batch is open.

Once the BATCH softkey has been pressed, you can then;

• scroll around the contents of a batch,

• review, delete and overwrite readings,

• skip memory locations (TH models only),

• and then return to the reading screen ready to take more measurements in the same batch.

ad. ‘Plot batch’ - Elcometer 331 Model TH only. ae. ‘Plot options’ - Elcometer 331 Model TH only.

Figure 23. Grid reading

review screen

(TH models only)

Figure 24. Linear batch

reading review screen

ATCHING/DATA LOGGING

Pressing BATCH displays the Reading Review Screen.

REVIEW

readings using the scroll keys to move around the contents

of a batch. Press and hold the Shift softkey [ ] and then press any of the

Scroll keys to jump quickly to the start or end of line of readings. When you have finished reviewing, press [] to return to the reading

screen at the current memory location or press [menu/esc] to return to the reading screen at the original memory location.

DELETE

readings by pressing the Delete softkey [ ]. Press Yes to

confirm deletion or No to cancel. When you have finished deleting, press [] to return to the reading

screen at the current memory location or press [menu/esc] to return to the reading screen at the original memory location.

You can

OVERWRITE

any of the readings.

1. Use the scroll keys to move to the reading you want to overwrite.

2. Press []. The display switches to the reading screen.

3. Take a new measurement and press [] to enter reading.

4. Press Yes to confirm overwrite or No to cancel.

SKIP OVER

memory locations in a grid batch (TH models only) using the scroll keys to move around the contents of the batch. This facility is useful when surveying in a grid around obstructions. The memory locations in the vicinity of the obstructions can be skipped over and left blank. When you are ready to return to the reading screen, press [].

ATCHING/DATA LOGGING

14.17 How to enter information into batch header fields

You can enter information into the header fields when you first open (create) a new batch or clone a batch and when editing batch tags.

There are two methods of entering information into the header fields of a batch;

• use the keypad on the Covermeter, or

• use a computer and then transfer the information to the Covermeter using CoverMaster software - see “CoverMaster software” on page 53.

Which method you use depends upon your circumstances. Typically, on a large measuring project, the best method is to design batches on your computer and then transfer the information to the Covermeter. The keypad can be used on site for minor changes and the addition of notes, etc. during cloning or editing of a batch.

Entering information using the keypad

Text and numbers can be entered into header fields using the Covermeter keypad. The function of the keys is shown below:

1. Scrolls up through alphanumeric characters.

2. Scrolls down through alphanumeric characters.

3. Moves cursor left. Hold down to delete a character.

4. Select character set (abc, ABC, 123, #$!, etc.)

5. Moves cursor right. Hold down to insert a character.

6. Enters text into header field. Press Yes to confirm or No to continue editing.

To delete an alphanumeric character

To insert an alphanumeric character

The screen displays the number of spare characters remaining in the field and the maximum total number of characters allowed.

The text fields can be entered/displayed using up to 256 different character codes. These include European accented characters and a few additional accented vowels used in the Chinese phonetic Pinyin system. When the Japanese language is selected, the European characters codes are substituted to represent the phonetic Katakana symbols which are shown at double-height.

, press and hold key 3.

, press and hold key 5.

af. The following symbols are not permitted in the Batch Name field because they are illegal in Windows

filenames: \/:*?\"<>|. They may be used in the other alphanumeric fields.

TYPICAL SURVEY (USING GRID BATCH MEMORY

)

15 A TYPICAL SURVEY (USING GRID BATCH MEMORY)

This section leads you step-by-step through taking measurements, saving cover and half-cell readings in batches and producing a report. The instructions are for a model TH; users of a model SH will be limited to linear batches only.

1. Mark out your survey area (in this example a 14 x 14 grid).

2. Fit the search head to your Covermeter, switch on and set Instrument Mode to Cover.

3. Create a new 14 x 14 grid batch for cover and name it ‘001’.

4. Measure the depth of cover over the entire survey area and record the cover measurements in the batch created at step 3 (press Enter [] to store a reading in the batch).

5. Fit the half-cell probe and cables and then set Instrument Mode to Halfcell.

6. Create another 14 x 14 grid batch, this time for half-cell.

Give the batch the same name as the cover batch

example, ‘001’).

7. Measure the half-cell potential over the entire survey area and record the measurements in the batch created at step 6 (again, press Enter [] to store a reading in the batch).

You now have two batches in your Covermeter, each of the same name (‘001’) - one containing cover measurements, the other containing half-cell potential measurements.

8. Connect your Covermeter to a PC and download the two batches using CoverMaster software

- see “Transferring readings to a computer” on page 52.

9. You can now produce a ‘Topographic combined’ or ‘Topographic overlay’ report which shows cover and half-cell potential on one easy-to-read report.

(in this

LOTTING BATCHES

16 PLOTTING BATCHES

Note: The instructions given in this section (16) apply to Elcometer 331 Model TH only. Users of Elcometer 331 Model SH can upgrade their instrument to model TH to gain this functionality contact Elcometer or your local supplier for details.

Your Covermeter can plot on its display a ‘map’ of the readings in a batch. Use this feature to locate potential trouble spots quickly and easily.

The map can be plotted in pseudo greyscale or in black and white:

Greyscale:

The lowest (worst) readings are displayed as dark regions on the map; the highest

readings as light regions. 16 levels of greyscale indicate readings between these extremes.

Black and white:

A threshold value is set by the user. All readings below the threshold are

displayed as black; all readings above the threshold are displayed as white. In both instances, blank and over-range readings are shown as white and under-range readings are

shown as black. To select greyscale or black and white, see “Plot options” on page 50.

16.1 Plot batch

MENU / DATA LOGGER / PLOT BATCH

Figure 25. Typical greyscale plot (of concrete cover)

1. Dark area () - potential trouble spot 8. Zoom level

2. Light area () 9. Upper limit

3. Cursor position 10. Lower limit/Threshold

4. Cursor scrollag left 11. Units

5. Shift scroll

12. Concrete cover/Voltage

6. Zoomai (0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x magnification) 13. Batch memory location

7. Cursor scroll right

ag. To scroll up or down, use the up ah. Press with cursor scroll keys to jump to end or start of row/column ai. When a batch is first plotted, the initial zoom is set automatically to the highest level that allows the whole

batch to be seen (or to x0.5 if the batch does not fit on the display at minimum zoom).

[]

and down

[]

keys.

PLOT OPTIONS

GREYSCALE MIN/MAX



GREYSCALE LIMITS



THRESHOLD VIEW



SET THRESHOLD

LOTTING BATCHES

Use the arrows to scroll the cursor around the plot; as the cursor moves the current memory location and reading are shown at the top right of the display. Large batches will scroll when the cursor reaches the edge of the display.

Use the Zoom softkey to zoom in to areas of interest. Press [] at any time to view a key of the greyscale levels.

16.2 Plot options

Use this menu to select how readings will be displayed on the plot.

MENU / DATA LOGGER / PLOT OPTIONS

Greyscale min/max

• Black is set to the minimum reading in the batch.

• White is set to the maximum reading in the batch.

• Readings between the minimum and maximum are indicated by decreasing levels of grey.

Greyscale limits

• Black is set to the batch low limit.

• White is set to the batch high limit.

• Readings between the low and high limits are indicated by decreasing levels of grey. (To set limits, see

If limits have not been set, the minimum and maximum readings in the batch will be used and this option will show the same plot as ‘Greyscale min/max’.

Threshold view

A threshold value is set by the user. All readings below the threshold are displayed as black; all readings above the threshold are displayed as white.

Set threshold

Set threshold values for cover (in mm or inches) and for half-cell (in mV), as required. The thresholds are applied to all batches and are independent of any other limits which may be set.

“Setting limits” on page 36

Figure 26. Typical threshold plot (of half-cell potential)

1. Light area () - readings are above threshold value

2. Black area () - readings are below threshold value

EASURING WELDED MESH AND JOINED BARS

17 MEASURING WELDED MESH AND JOINED BARS

The procedures for locating and measuring depth of cover of welded mesh and joined bars are similar to those for reinforcement bars as described in sections 5, 6 and 9 (pages 18 to 24 and 27 to 30). This section highlights the additional factors which must be considered when measuring welded mesh or joined bars.

When searching for isolated reinforcing bars, the Covermeter induces eddy currents within the individual bars. Welded mesh reinforcements however create current loops which produce additional strong signals.

When searching for welded mesh reinforcements, it is common to encounter three levels of signal:

Very strong signals

Very strong signals are obtained when the search head is across the centre bar of a double or ‘figure-of-eight’ loop. These locations must not be used for cover measurements.

Figure 27. Strong signals at centre of ‘figure-of-eight’

Minimum strength signals

Minimum signals are obtained when the search head is over the centre of a single loop.

Figure 28. Minimum strength signals at centre of single loop

RANSFERRING READINGS TO A COMPUTER

Ordinary strength signals

Ordinary strength signals are obtained when the head is accurately aligned with the middle of a side. Only this type of signal is suitable for measuring depth of cover.

Figure 29. Ordinary strength signals from middle of one side of a loop

Note: The Orthogonal Sizing function (page 27) must not be attempted on welded mesh fabric - the bars are too close together for reliable measurement.

18 TRANSFERRING READINGS TO A COMPUTER

You can transfer statistics and readings data from the memory of your Covermeter to a computer. The data can then be used in reports, analysed to produce graphs, etc.

Connect your Covermeter to a computer, using the cable supplied - see “Connecting the data transfer cable” on page 55.

There are two methods of transferring statistics and readings:

• Print/output

• CoverMaster® software (to store, analyse and report)

18.1 Print/output

Use the PRINT/OUTPUT function of the Covermeter to output data over the RS232 interface direct to a printer or to communications software such as Hyperterminal.

Choose between outputting a single batch, all batches or just the current statistics.

MENU / PRINT/OUTPUT / SINGLE BATCH MENU / PRINT/OUTPUT / ALL BATCHES MENU / PRINT/OUTPUT / CURRENT STATISTICS

Note: Before you use PRINT/OUTPUT, you must first select the correct output baud rate and output format.

MENU / SETUP / OUTPUT

Baud Rate

RS232 Bit Image

bit-maps. This allows printing on the Elcometer Miniprinter (see “Accessories” on page 64).

. This can be set at values from 1200 to 19200. The default value is 9600 baud.

. Toggle tick box to activate/deactivate. All images and characters are output as

RANSFERRING READINGS TO A COMPUTER

RS232 Plain Text

. Toggle tick box to activate/deactivate. The Covermeter sends standard ASCII characters from the Courier New font setaj. This allows printing on RS232 printers and data transfer to a PC using software such as HyperTerminal.

18.2 CoverMaster software

CoverMaster® software supplied on the CD enclosed with the gauge is designed specifically for your Covermeter. CoverMaster® is powerful but easy-to-use software which simplifies setting up and using your Covermeter:

• Design batch templates on your PC and download these to your Elcometer 331 Covermeter,

ready for use on site.

• Download cover and half-cell readings data from your Covermeter to the CoverMaster® data

management system.

• Keep your survey notes, inspection reports, photographs and all your other inspection

information in one place - CoverMaster®.

• Create accurate and professional reports configured to allow your data to be understood easily

at all levels.

• Create PDF versions of your reports and e-mail direct from CoverMaster®. For complete instructions on how to install and use CoverMaster® software, please refer to the

separate instructions supplied with the software.

aj. When RS232 Plain Text is selected the following languages will be output as English: Chinese, Japanese.

Batch templates

Batch readings

CoverMaster® interface showing reading data (measurements)

CoverMaster® interface showing

topographical representation of the same

reading data

RANSFERRING READINGS TO A COMPUTER

Figure 30. Use CoverMaster® to link your Covermeter to a computer

Use the CoverMaster® Page Designer...

...to create your own reports

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVW

X 1 2

3 4

6 7

8 9

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1.80

2.00

2.20

2.40

2.60

2.80

3.00

3.20

3.40

3.60

3.80

4.00

4.20

4.40

4.60

4.80

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1.80

2.00 10 16 23 29 36 4 2 49 55 61 68 74 81 87 94 100 106

BatchName: Comments:

Jnt15 NE1 Surfacecracking apparent

InspectionDate: CustomerName:

11/11/200411:10:27 HighwaysDepartment

Page1

Printedon29/03/2005 ElcometerCoverMasterSoftw are www.elcometer.com

Rows: Columns: Readings: CreationDate: UpdateDate: BatchFormat: HighLimit: LowLimit: GridSpacing:

MeanAverage: StandardDeviation: Max: Min: Range: ReadingsBelow Low Limit: ReadingsAbove High Limit: PercentBelow Low Limit: PercentAbove High Limit:

10 24

236 11/11/200411:10:27 11/11/200411:10:27

Grid

85mm 25mm

200mm

35mm 14mm 56mm

5mm

51mm

28.81%

0.00%

Site: Area: Engineer: Customer: Note: Location: BarSeries: BarSize:

M25Expressway

NESection 1

JohnSmit h

HighwaysDepartment

Surfacecracking apparent

Exit15

Metric

5.5mm

MeasuredCover in mm

BatchName: Comments:

Jnt15 NE1 Surfacecracking apparent

InspectionDate: CustomerName:

11/11/200411:10:27 HighwaysDepartment

Page1

Printedon29/03/2005 ElcometerCoverMasterSoftw are www.elcometer.com

MeasuredCover in mm

HighLimit LowLimit

-1 5 11 17 23 29 35 41 47 53 59 65 71 77 83 89 95

105

100

Rows: Columns: Readings: CreationDate: UpdateDate: BatchFormat: HighLimit: LowLimit: GridSpacing:

MeanAverage: StandardDeviation: Max: Min: Range: ReadingsBelow Low Limit: ReadingsAbove High Limit: PercentBelow Low Limit: PercentAbove High Limit:

10 24

236 11/11/200411:10:27 11/11/200411:10:27

Grid

85mm 25mm

200mm

35mm 14mm 56mm

5mm

51mm

28.81%

0.00%

Site: Area: Engineer: Customer: Note: Location: BarSeries: BarSize:

M25Expressway

NESection 1

JohnSmit h

HighwaysDepartment

Surfacecracking apparent

Exit15

Metric

5.5mm

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVW

X 1 2

5 6

8 9

30 41

38 32

33 26

42 42

34 33

34 26

18 18

14 19

12 24

19 16

18 16

12 11

16 14

15 11

19 9

12 18

38 37

12 10

11 12

44 41

14 11

24 23

50 49

47 45

47 44

44 37

46 45

56 46

44 55

47 45

45 46

48 49

51 50

55 49

50 55

55 53

46 48

50 51

52 49

55 50

52 50

47 39

47 50

47 41

44 46

42 42

44 45

38 37

43 44

47 38

34 35

44 46

43 39

32 38

43 36

27 28

24 19

43 41

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1.80

2.00 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVW

X 1 2

3 4

6 7

8 9

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1.80

2.00

10 16 23 29 36 4 2 49 55 61 68 74 81 87 94 100 106

Site: Area: Engineer: Customer: Note: Location: BarSeries: BarSize:

MeanAverage: StandardDeviation: Max: Min: Range: ReadingsBelowLow Limit: ReadingsAboveHigh Limit: PercentBelowLow Limit: PercentAboveHigh Limit:

Rows: Columns: Readings: CreationDate: UpdateDate: BatchFormat: HighLimit: LowLimit: GridSpacing:

M25Expressway

NESection1

JohnSmith

HighwaysDepartment

Surfacecrackingapparent

Exit15 Metric

5.5mm

10 24

236 11/11/200411:10:27 11/11/200411:10:27

Grid

85mm 25mm

200mm

BatchName: Comments:

Jnt15 NE1 Surfacecracking apparent

InspectionDate: CustomerName:

11/11/200411:10:27 HighwaysDepartment

35mm 14mm 56mm

5mm

51mm

28.81%

0.00%

Page1

Printedon29/03/2005 ElcometerCoverMasterSoftw are www.elcometer.com

MeasuredCover in mm

EARCH HEADS

Figure 31. Produce professional reportsak direct from CoverMaster

18.3 Connecting the data transfer cable

1. Plug the 9-pin female D-type connector on one end of the data transfer cable into the COM port on the PC (an RS232 to USB transfer cable is available which allows you to connect your Covermeter to a USB port on your computer - see “Accessories” on page 70 for ordering details).

2. Plug the 5-pin connector on the other end of the data transfer cable into the RS232 connector at the rear of the Covermeter located under the access cover - see “Computer interface” on page 11.

3. Switch on the Covermeter and ensure that the Reading Screen is displayed.

19 SEARCH HEADS

Four types of search head are available for your Covermeter; Standard, Narrow Pitch, Deep Cover and Borehole Probe. To order any of these search heads see “Accessories” on page 64.

ak. The illustrations in Figure 30 and Figure 31 show a grid batch. Grid batches are only available on Model ‘T’

Covermeters. Model ‘SH’ Covermeters can save up to 10 linear batches.

Narrow Pitch Standard Deep Cover Borehole Probe

EARCH HEADS

All search heads are fully interchangeable. Changing from one type of search head to another is quick and easy; simply switch off the Covermeter, swap search heads, switch on again and zero the Covermeter.

Figure 32. Search head search fields

Use the

Narrow Pitch

search head when the reinforcement bars are close together, i.e. when the

pitch of the reinforcement bars is narrow. Use the

Deep Cover

head to measure depth of cover over reinforcement bars deep within the structure. Because the Deep Cover search head only resolves bars if they are adequately spaced (centre-to-centre pitch more than about 1½ times their cover), for covers shallower than 70 mm, the Standard search head should be used in preference.

Note: Orthogonal sizing is not possible when the Covermeter is set to detect stainless steel and the SIZE function is therefore removed from the reading screen when this bar grade is selected.

Borehole Probe

The Borehole Probe is used to locate reinforcement bars, tendon ducts and other metallic objects in the vicinity of holes drilled into concrete. The probe will also measure depth of cover over a limited range, making it ideal when attempting to drill through a structure without making contact with reinforcement bars or tendon ducts. The Borehole Probe is available in two lengths; 400 mm (16") and 1000 mm (40").

The Borehole Probe has two search fields; forwards looking and sideways looking. Readings can be taken looking forward from the end of the probe or looking sideways (at right angles to the axis of the probe) - Figure 33. A switchal on the handle controls which search field is active.

al. Whenever the position of the switch is changed, the Covermeter must be zeroed.

EARCH HEADS

Figure 33. Borehole probe search fields

The body of the probe has a scale marked every 10 mm (0.5") along its length. Use this scale to measure the depth of reinforcement bars located to one side of the hole. The scale indicates distance from the centre of the sideways looking sensor in the probe. To measure the depth of the borehole, add 15 mm (0.6") to the reading taken from the scale.

The sideways looking search field is located on the side of the Borehole Probe marked with the scale.

Note: Orthogonal sizing is not possible with the Borehole Probe and the SIZE function is therefore removed from the reading screen when this type of probe is connected to the Covermeter.

To scan for reinforcement bars to the side of the borehole:

Set the switch to the sideways looking position and move the Borehole Probe into the drilled hole, slowly rotating the probe through 360° (Figure 34 overleaf).

To scan for reinforcement bars or ducts in line with (in front of) the end of the borehole:

Set

the switch to the forward looking position and push the Borehole Probe into the drilled hole slowly.

Figure 34. Scanning a borehole

EARCH HEADS

19.1 Search head extension arm

This optional accessory allows the operator simple access to areas normally requiring ladders or scaffolding. The search head extension arm reduces the need to kneel down and allows the user to scan bridge decks and floor areas from a standing postion.

The extension arm is only suitable for use with the standard and narrow pitch search heads. See “Accessories” on page 64 for ordering information.

ALF-CELL PROBES

20 HALF-CELL PROBES

Two types of half-cell probe are available for your Covermeter. The probes can be easily identified by colour:

• Copper-Copper Sulphate (Cu-CuSO4): Yellow

• Silver-Silver Chloride (Ag-AgCl): Blue

20.1 Wetting your probe

For your probe to function properly the ceramic sensing end (the electrode) must be wet. To get a good wet electrode, just place the electrode in tap water for two to three minutes; this will usually be sufficient to keep the sensor going all day. Keeping the plastic end cap on the sensor when it is not being used will also help to keep the electrode wet. During periods of extended storage, place a small amount of water in the end cap before pushing the cap onto the probe.

20.2 Care of your probe and cables

The probes do not require any maintenance; they do not need recharging and are sealed for life. Any mud or grit should be removed from the electrode by swirling the electrode back and forth in a container of warm, soapy water and then brushing with a wet rag. The soapy water will not harm or contaminate the electrode.

Always check that the connecting cables are free of damage such as cuts and tears in the sheathing before use.

The Copper-Copper Sulphate half-cell probe is intentionally filled with a reserve of saturated Cupric Sulfate solution combined with solid Cupric Sulfate crystals to ensure a minimum 10-year design life.

Under certain circumstances a very small percentage of this reserve can leach out from the ceramic sensing tip of the half-cell producing crystals as shown in the photograph.

This does not affect the performance of the cell. The crystals should be removed by washing in distilled water.

20.3 Temperature

Do not allow the probe to freeze. Although freezing will not damage your probe, it will be impossible to obtain reliable measurements while in this state. All measurements are affected by temperature; if you take two readings in identical conditions, one in the summer at 29°C (85°F) and the other in the winter at 1°C (34°F), the half-cell potential readings will be different.

Each probe is tested at 25°C to be within ±10 mV of a standard Calomel reference cell. The following values relative to a standard Calomel cell are used as the test limits during manufacture:

Lower limit Reference value for Calomel Upper limit Copper-Copper Sulphate (Cu-CuSO4) +50 mV +60 mV +70 mV Silver-Silver Chloride (Ag-AgCl) -50 mV -40 mV -30 mV

20.4 Shelf life

Your probe does not degrade when stored.

RROR MESSAGES

21 ERROR MESSAGES

Under certain conditions the Covermeter will display error messages (Figure 35). These messages are normally cleared by pressing any one of the softkeys. The cause of the error will be indicated by the message and should be corrected before proceeding.

Table 3: Error messages

Error message Causes Action to take

#1 - PROBE

#2 - PROBE

Search head-to-gauge communication failure.

Corrupt data output from probe.

#3 - PROBE Internal error. Return to Elcometer*.

#4 - PROBE

Search head power supply fault.

#5 - PROBE Internal error.

PROBE UNSUPPORTED

Old Covermeter software does not support new search head.

Probe has been changed and

PROBE CHANGED

is not compatible with current batch.

VALUE TOO LARGE

Numerical error.

CLOCK Internal error. Return to Elcometer*.

LANGUAGE MEMORY

Software error. Return to Elcometer*.

Remove search head and refit. If error persists, return to Elcometer*.

Try new search head. If error persists, return to Elcometer*.

Remove probe. If error persists, the Covermeter is faulty. If error clears, the probe is faulty. Return faulty part to Elcometer*.

Remove search head and refit. If error persists, return to Elcometer*.

Return to Elcometer* for software upgrade.

Change to probe used when batch was created.

Switch Covermeter off then on again. If error persists contact Elcometer.

* Contact Elcometer or your Elcometer Supplier to arrange return.

Figure 35. Example error message - search head not connected

ERSONALISED WELCOME SCREEN

22 PERSONALISED WELCOME SCREEN

A personalised welcome screen can be designed on a computer and then downloaded into the Covermeter.

Screen dimensions are 128 pixels x 64 pixels. The welcome screen is typically used to personalise the Covermeter with a logo, serial number, user name, etc. This is the first screen displayed when the Covermeter is switched on.

22.1 Creating the screen

1. Download Elcometer ‘Welcome Screen Wizard’ software. This software is available free of

charge from the downloads section of the Elcometer website, www.elcometer.com

2. Connect Covermeter to PC using Data Transfer Cable.

3. Switch on the Covermeter.

4. Ensure that the reading screen is displayed.

5. Run ‘Welcome Screen Wizard’ software and follow the on-screen instructions.

22.2 Deleting the screen

1. Run the ‘Welcome Screen Wizard’ software.

2. Click ‘Next’.

3. Select ‘Create a new screen setup’.

4. Click ‘Next’.

5. Select ‘Disabled’.

6. Click ‘Next’. Follow the remaining on-screen instructions to delete the welcome screen.

23 STORAGE

This Covermeter incorporates a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). If the display is heated above 50°C (120°F) it may be damaged. This can happen if the Covermeter is left in a car parked in strong sunlight.

Always store the Covermeter in its case when it is not being used.

24 MAINTENANCE

You own one of the finest covermeters in the world. If looked after, it will last a lifetime. Regular calibration checks over the life of the Covermeter are a requirement of quality management

procedures, e.g. ISO 9000, and other similar standards. For checks and certification contact Elcometer or your Elcometer supplier.

The Covermeter does not contain any user-serviceable components. In the unlikely event of a fault, the Covermeter should be returned to your Elcometer supplier or directly to Elcometer. The warranty will be invalidated if the gauge has been opened.

Contact details can be found:

• Stored in the Covermeter (MENU / ABOUT / CONTACT).

• On the outside cover of these operating instructions.

• At www.elcometer.com

PGRADING YOUR COVERMETER

25 UPGRADING YOUR COVERMETER

Users of the Elcometer 331 model SH can upgrade their instrument to a model TH. Upgrading your Covermeter will provide you with the following additional features:

• Memory of over 240 000 readings in multiple linear and grid batches

• Grid batches as well as linear batches

• Date and time stamping of measurements

• Plot on the display of the Covermeter a ‘map’ of the readings in a batch for quick and easy identification of potential trouble spots in a survey

Upgrading of your Covermeter must be carried out by Elcometer or your local Elcometer supplier. For more information or to arrange to have your Covermeter upgraded, contact Elcometer, your

Elcometer supplier or visit www.elcometer.com

26 TECHNICAL DATA

26.1 Performance

Standard search head

Range: 40 mm (1.6") bar: 17 mm to 100 mm (0.65" to 4")

Accuracy: up to 65 mm (2.6") depth: ±2 mm (0.1")

Pitch resolution: 16 mm (#5) diameter bar at 50 mm (2") depth of cover;

Narrow Pitch search head

Range: 40 mm (1.6") bar: 9 mm to 75 mm (0.35" to 3")

Accuracy: up to 45 mm (1.75") depth: ±1 mm (0.05")

Pitch resolution: 10 mm (#3) diameter bar at 30 mm (1.2") depth of cover;

Deep cover search head

Range: 40 mm (1.6") bar: 50 mm to 200 mm (2" to 8")

Accuracyan: up to 65 mm (2.6") depth: ±2 mm (0.1")

Pitch resolution: 16 mm (#5) diameter bar at 100 mm (4") depth of cover;

8 mm (0.3") bar: 9 mm to 75 mm (0.35" to 3")

over 70 mm (2.8") depth: ±3%

pitch ≥ 75 mm (3")

8 mm (0.3") bar: 5 mm to 55 mm (0.2" to 2.2")

over 50 mm (2") depth: ±2 mm (0.1")

pitch ≥ 55 mm (2.15")

8 mm (0.3") bar: 25 mm to 150 mm (1" to 6")

over 70 mm (2.8") depth: ±3%

pitch ≥ 125 mm (5")

am. All performance figures have been obtained when using Elcometer reference rebars of standard diameter at

room temperature.

an. Accuracy figures for the deep cover search head are obtained once the operating temperature has

stabilised (after 10 minutes continuous use of the search head).

ELATED EQUIPMENT

Half-cell mode

Range: -999 mV to +999 mV

Accuracy: ±5 mV

Half-cell probes

Stability: 10 mV with 3 µA load

26.2 Physical

Weight (including Deep head search head): 1.6 kg (3.5 lb)

Dimensions (including search head and lead): 230 mm x 130 mm x 125 mm

(9" x 5.1" x 4.9")

Operating temperatureao: 0°C to 50°C

(32°F to 120°F)

Case: High impact ABS

26.3 Power supply

Internal rechargeable Lithium Ion batteryap. Fuse rating of charger: 3 A Battery life: Up to 32 hours continuous use without backlight. Up to 20 hours with backlight.

27 RELATED EQUIPMENT

Elcometer produces a wide range of concrete and coatings inspection equipment. Users of the Elcometer 331 Concrete Covermeter may also benefit from the following Elcometer products:

• Elcometer Adhesion and Bond Strength Testers

• Elcometer Concrete Crack Microscopes

• Elcometer Concrete Moisture Meters

• Elcometer Concrete Test Hammers For further information contact Elcometer, your Elcometer supplier or visit www.elcometer.com

ao. Operation outside these limits depends upon climatic conditions. ap. Battery packs must be disposed of carefully to avoid environmental contamination. Please consult your local

environmental authority for information on disposal in your region. Do not dispose of the battery pack in a fire.

CCESSORIES

28 ACCESSORIES

Your Covermeter is complete with all the items required to get started. The following optional accessories are available from Elcometer, or your Elcometer supplier. To

place an order please quote the sales part number which follows the description of each accessory.

Rechargeable battery pack: TW33119038

Search head - Standard: TW33119124-1A

Search head - Narrow Pitch: TW33119124-2A

Search head - Deep Cover: TW33119171A

Search head - borehole probe, 400 mm (metric): TW33119223-1A

Search head - borehole probe, 1000 mm (metric): TW33119223-2A

Search head - borehole probe, 16" (imperial): TW33119223-3A

Search head - borehole probe, 40" (imperial): TW33119223-4A

Search head extension arm (for narrow pitch and standard search heads): TW33119222

Search head connecting cable (for extension arm): TW33119201

Search head connecting cable (curly) TW33119199

Earphone: TW99912220

Calibration check block: TW33119218

Data transfer cableaq (Covermeter to PC): T99916217

RS232 to USB transfer cable: T99916716

CoverMaster® Software TW33119221

Elcometer 331 Model SH to TH upgrade TW33119684

Half-cell probe kit, Copper-Copper Sulphate (Cu-CuSO4): TW331CUKIT (probe, 2 x connecting cables, 1 x 25 m cable reel, carry case)

Half-cell probe kit, Silver-Silver Chloride (Ag-AgCl): TW331AGKIT (probe, 2 x connecting cables, 1 x 25 m cable reel, carry case)

Half-cell probe cable reel, extendable to 100 m, with carry handle: TW33119683

Calibration certificate

Certificates traceable to National Standards including UKAS and NIST are available on request. Calibration Certificates are issued for a specific gauge/search head combination and are not

interchangeable. Calibration Certificates must be requested at the time of order, or alternatively, the gauge and search head must be returned to Elcometer for certification.

Calibration Certificates cannot be issued retrospectively.

aq. A 9-pin to 25-pin adapter may be required for certain PC RS232 ports.

29 INDEX

NDEX

Accessories 64 Accuracy

Bar size 29

Head-positioning 29 Neighbouring bars 29 Reducing errors 30 Welded mesh 29

Depth of cover 24 ASTM/Canadian bar size 25 AutoSize 26

Backlight 11 Bar size

Manual selection of 25

Measurement of 27 BATCH 45 Batch

Cloning 44

Copying 44

Deleting all 45

Deleting one 45

Opening existing 43

Opening new 43

Recalculation 44 Batches 40

For Cover and Half-cell 41

Grid 40

Linear 40

What they contain 41 Batching 40

Exiting 43 Batteries

Charging 4

Life of 63 Battery condition indicator 5 Battery pack 4 Baud rate 52 Beeping 23, 32 Borehole Probe 56

Calibration 61 Calibration certificates 64 Charger 4 Charging the batteries 4

Cloning a batch 44 Computer

Connection cable 64 Computer, transferring data to 52 Copying a batch 44 Cover 22 CoverMaster software 53

Data logging 40 Data transfer cable 55, 64 Deep Cover search head 56 Delete batch 45 Deleting all batches 45 Depth of cover 22 Detection mode 33 Dimensions 63

Earphone 12 Earphones 12 Elcometer 331

Features 2

Overview 1 Enter key

What it does 22 Entering information 47 Error messages 60 Exit batching 43

Features 2 Fitting a search head 6 Free memory 45

Grey Scale Levels 49 Grid batches 40

Half-cell

Reading screen 10

Taking a measurement 31 Half-cell probes 59

Care of 59

Fitting to gauge 7

Spares 64

NDEX

Specifications 63 Storage and Shelf life 59 Wetting 59

Header fields

Entering information 47

Imperial bar size 25 Interface 11

Access cover 4 RS232 11

Japanese bar size 25 Joined bars 51

Keypad

Main unit 8 Search head 8

Language, selecting 11 LCD contrast 10 LED

Illuminated 19 Intensity varying 33

Limits 36

Batch icons 36 Linear batches 40 Liquid Crystal Display 61 Locate mode 34 Locating 18

Single layer of bars 18

Two layers of bars 19

Maintenance 61 Mapping 21 Maximum/Minimum limits 36 Maxpip™ mode 35 Memory

Capacity 40

Free 45 Memory location

Advancing 23, 32 Menu items

ABOUT 15

ALL BATCHES 52

AUTO SWITCH OFF 9 BACKLIGHT 11 BAR 25 BATCH 45 BAUD RATE 17, 52 BEEP VOLUME 34 CLEAR STATS 38 CLOCK 16 CLONE BATCH 44 CONTACT 61 COVER 14 CURRENT STATISTICS 52 DATA LOGGER 14, 43 DELETE ALL BATCHES 45 DELETE BATCH 45 DISPLAY 17 ENLARGE STATS 38 EXIT BATCHING 43 FREE MEMORY 45 HALFCELL 14 HELP 10 HIGH LIMIT 17 INSTRUMENT MODE 14 LCD CONTRAST 10 LIMITS 16, 36 LOW LIMIT 17, 35 MENU 13 OPEN EXISTING BATCH 43 OPEN NEW BATCH 43 OUTPUT 16, 52 PLOT BATCH 49 PLOT OPTIONS 15, 50 PRINT/OUTPUT 14, 52 RESET 15 REVIEW BATCH 38, 44 RS232 BIT IMAGE 52 RS232 PLAIN TEXT 53 SELECT STATS 16, 39 SERIES 25 SET DATE FORMAT 17 SET THRESHOLD 17 SETUP 15 SHOW AUTOSIZE INFO 26 SHOW TIME 11, 39 SINGLE BATCH 52 SIZE 27 SOUND MODE 16, 34 STATISTICS 14, 38 STATS ON LCD 38

UNITS 16

ZERO 12 Menus 13 Metric bar size 25 Muting the sound 34

Narrow Pitch search head 56

On/off 9 Open existing batch 43 Open new batch 43 Opening screen

Creating 61 Orientation 20 Orthogonal sizing 27 Over-range 24

Data transfer cable 64 Plotting batches 49

Greyscale 50

Threshold 50 Power on/off 9 Power supply 4, 63

Quick-start 3

NDEX

Overview 55 Standard

Specifications 62

Storage clip 6 Sensitivity 34 Size

Measurement

Borehole Probe 56, 57

Measuring

Automatic 26 Orthogonal 27 Welded mesh 52

Size (orthogonal)

Failure of 29 Software

CoverMaster 53 Sound 23, 32

Muting 34 Sound mode 33 Standards 3 Statistics

Choice of 39

Clearing 38

Increasing size on display 38

Overview 37

Values calculated 37 Storage 61 Surface mapping 21 Surveying large areas of concrete 40 Switching on/off 9

Reports 53

Saving your readings in memory 43 Screen

Welcome information 9

Screen symbols 10

Battery condition 5

Search head

Borehole Probe 56 Deep Cover 56

Specifications 62 Extension arm 58 Fitting 6 Narrow Pitch 56

Specifications 62 Notches in sides of 28

Time and date 11 Transferring data to computer 52, 53

Under Cover mode 35

Limitations 35

Upgrading 62

Weight 63 Welcome screen

Creating 61

Welded mesh 51

Orthogonal sizing 29

Zeroing the Covermeter 12

NDEX

Zoom 49

Elcometer 331 SH, 331 TH Operating Instructions Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Elcometer 331

CONTENTS

1 ABOUT YOUR COVERMETER

2 QUICK-START

3 GETTING STARTED

3.1 The power supply

3.2 Fitting search heads

3.3 Identifying search heads

3.4 Fitting half-cell probes

3.5 The controls

3.6 Switching the Covermeter on and off

3.7 The display

3.8 Selecting a language

3.9 Computer interface

3.10 Using the earphone

3.11 Zeroing the Covermeter

4 THE MENUS

5 LOCATING REINFORCEMENT BARS

5.1 Before you start

5.2 To locate a single layer of reinforcement bars

5.3 To locate two layers of reinforcement bars

5.4 To determine the orientation of a reinforcement bar

5.5 Practice

5.6 Surface mapping

6 MEASURING DEPTH OF COVER

6.1 Before you start

6.2 Procedure

6.4 Accuracy

7 SELECTING BAR SIZE

8 AUTOSIZING

9 MEASURING SIZE OF REINFORCEMENT BARS (ORTHOGONAL)

9.1 Before you start

9.2 Procedure

9.3 Accuracy

9.4 Reducing errors when orthogonal sizing

10 MEASURING HALF-CELL POTENTIAL

10.1 Before you start

10.2 Procedure

10.4 Measuring cell-to-cell rather than cell-to-bar

11 SOUND MODE/DETECTION MODE

11.1 Locate

11.2 Maxpip™

11.3 Under Cover

12 SETTING LIMITS

13 STATISTICS

14 BATCHING/DATA LOGGING

14.1 Linear batches

14.2 Grid batches

14.3 What does a batch contain?

14.4 Saving your readings in memory

14.5 Exit batching

14.6 Open new batch

14.7 Open existing batch

14.8 Clone batch/Copy batch information

14.9 Review batch

14.10 Plot batch

14.11 Plot options

14.12 Edit batch tags

14.13 Delete batch

14.14 Delete all batches

14.15 Free memory

14.16 The BATCH softkey

14.17 How to enter information into batch header fields

15 A TYPICAL SURVEY (USING GRID BATCH MEMORY)

16 PLOTTING BATCHES

16.1 Plot batch

16.2 Plot options

17 MEASURING WELDED MESH AND JOINED BARS

18 TRANSFERRING READINGS TO A COMPUTER

19 SEARCH HEADS

20 HALF-CELL PROBES

21 ERROR MESSAGES

22 PERSONALISED WELCOME SCREEN

23 STORAGE

24 MAINTENANCE

25 UPGRADING YOUR COVERMETER