Details:

Creators:
Goulias, Dimitrios ; Scott, Michael
Goulias, Dimitrios ; Scott, Michael Less -
Corporate Creators:
University of Maryland (College Park, Md.). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Subject/TRT Terms:
[+]
Bridge Decks Condition Surveys Ground Penetrating Radar Pavement Management Systems Precast Concrete Quality Control Structural Health Monitoring
Publication/ Report Number:
MD-15-SHA-UM-3-11
Resource Type:
Tech Report
Geographical Coverage:
Maryland
Corporate Publisher:
Maryland. State Highway Administration. Office of Policy & Research
Abstract:
Recently Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) started to explore use of Ground Penetrating Radar

(GPR) technology to provide quantitative information for improved decision making and reduced operating

costs. To take full advantage of the GPR capabilities, improved analysis techniques need to be developed and

implemented. The objective of this study was to assist SHA engineers, technicians, and decision makers in

their current effort to explore the use of GPR in assessing the condition of critical infrastructure components

and to identify potential improvements in GPR data analysis. The research team closely interacted with

representatives from selected divisions of the Office of Materials Technology (OMT) to identify potential

GPR applications using existing equipment accessible to SHA, targeting critical high priority areas for

analysis and improvement. In regards to pavement structures, a new methodology was suggested to improve

the accuracy of GPR data analysis. The initial analysis and results indicated that Multi-scale Pavement GPR

data Analysis (MPGA) has significant potential to add value and accuracy to pavement thickness data used in

pavement management and rehabilitation analysis. The MPGA results indicate that pavement thickness data

trends can be identified based on either automated or semi-automated procedures based on target variability

levels of thickness uniformity, and thus can be used to efficiently evaluate pavement material layers.

Similarly, for bridge deck analysis, techniques such as migration imaging (for concrete cover depth

measurement applications among others) and Fourier analysis of GPR waveforms (for qualitative bridge deck

moisture analysis) were used in addition to emerging techniques such as Short Time Fourier Transform

analysis (for anticipated quantitative moisture analysis) for improving GPR data interpretation. Migration and

Fourier techniques were illustrated corresponding to GPR data collected using a GPR array on selected bridge

decks in the Salisbury, MD area. When applied appropriately, such techniques can provide more reliable

analysis of bridge deck inspection than conventional means. In terms of precast concrete, this study has shown

how GPR can be used to address several of the inspections needed in precast concrete production, including

an evaluation of concrete cover depth, reinforcement location, and section thicknesses. The testing and

demonstration showed significant potential for quality control using GPR.


Format:
PDF
Funding:
SHA/UM/3-11
Collection(s):
US Transportation Collection
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:e898bbfd093abc4e58f6b60a4b5623b15ba0e1aa1019671587e22df56b231a33
Download URL:
https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/28443/dot_28443_DS1.pdf
File Type:

Supporting Files

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