A method of detecting honeycombing damage in a reinforced concrete beam using the finite element model updating technique was proposed. A control beam and two finite element model srepresenting different severity of damage were constructed using available software and the defect parameters were updated. Analyses were performed on the finite element models to approximate the modal parameters. A datum and a control finite element model to match the datum test beams with honeycombs were prepared. Results from the finite element model were corrected by updating the Young’s modulus and the damage parameters. There was a loss of stiffness of 3% for one case, and a loss of 7% for another. The more severe the damage, the higher the loss of stiffness. There was no significant loss of stiffness by doubling the volume of the honeycombs.

This article profiles Katarzyna Bzowska-Budd, a Polish journalist and member of the generation of political refugees the 1980s. Based in London, she has become luminary of the Polish diaspora. In 1991–2002 she was editor-in-chief of the Dziennik Polski i Dziennik Żołnierza (The Polish Daily and Soldier's Daily) and published extensively in Polish and expatriate journals. A keen observer of British life, she writes from the immigrant perspective complemented with a superb understanding of English sensitivities.