Ground Penetrating Radar Data Processing for Concrete Bridge Deck Evaluation
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 25, Issue 7
Abstract
This paper presents ground-coupled ground penetrating radar (GPR) data-processing procedures for concrete bridge deck evaluation. GPR signals are analyzed in the depth range from the concrete surface to top reinforcement mat. Although most ground-coupled GPR analysis methods focus on the attenuation of signals from rebar reflections only, the proposed algorithms extract three types of parameters from GPR scans: Direct coupling amplitude, wave velocity in concrete cover depth, and normalized, depth-corrected GPR signal amplitude from rebar reflections. These parameters provide information about bridge deck deterioration conditions at different depths. First, the signal amplitude of the direct coupling wave on the concrete surface is analyzed over the entire bridge. Second, the wave velocity in cover concrete is obtained through migration of rebar reflections, and then the rebar depth can be calculated. Third, signal attenuation in concrete is calculated from the rebar reflection and further corrected by the rebar depth. In addition, the true time zero for GPR signal analysis is validated by numerical simulation and experimental data. Finally, this algorithm is demonstrated on field testing data, and the final results are presented in the forms of direct coupling wave amplitude, wave velocity, and attenuation maps.
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Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT). The authors wish to thank staff members at the Department of Transportation for their assistance in this project, including Mark Traynowicz, Fouad Jaber, Jason Volz, and Kent Miller for providing the bridge information and arranging the traffic controls in the field testing. Hongbin Sun’s help in the field testing is also acknowledged.
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Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 25 • Issue 7 • July 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 25, 2019
Accepted: Jan 6, 2020
Published online: Apr 17, 2020
Published in print: Jul 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Sep 17, 2020
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