Airborne non-contact and contact broadband ultrasounds for frequency attenuation profile estimation of cementitious materials.

•The attenuation of cement was measured using both airborne and contact ultrasound.•The results between 30 kHz and 150 kHz were similar in a through-transmission setup.•Broadband chirps were used, but the airborne signals had a reduced bandwidth.•The techniques were calibrated separately due to the different material interfaces.