What is Ground Penetrating Radar?
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is used in many industries to see through natural and man-made materials. Ground Penetrating Radar can be used to locate metallic and non-metallic pipes, power lines, conduits, water lines, rebar, and post-tensioning cables within concrete.
With proper interpretation, these recorded signals show GPR technicians the location and depth of targets in concrete. Subsequently, a variety of GPR equipment is used, depending on the depth of the structure being investigated.
Advantages and Importance of Ground Penetrating Radar
Safety
When an error occurs and equipment hits an unexpected object, the results can be devastating. In additions to damage to the equipment and the site, a handling error can result in injury and loss of life. Rebars and tension wires, for example, can break and put everyone in the vicinity in immediate danger. It is essential for everyone involved to have as clear a picture as possible on what you are working with.
More Economical
Ground Penetrating Radar is a cost-effective way to prevent the damage that core drilling can cause. Often, highway engineers use a drilled core sample to test the different layers and their thickness, but this can be time-consuming, costly, and result in long-term damage. Water and air can get into the gaps in the core samples and cause early deterioration of the concrete or asphalt.
Mapping
GPR is also used to determine the thickness of road pavement, foundations, buildings, wall thickness, damage, and voids in various structures, including bridges, and to calculate the extent of foundations and footings, as well as other structural assessments. They are also used to map structures prior to construction.
Helps Detect Hazards
One of the main benefits and reasons GPR systems are used is that they help detect underground electrical wires before construction begins. This is an advantage for a construction project, as it prevents hazards that may occur, such as the accidental cutting of a water, gas, or power line.
Therefore, the detection by GPR performed by a technician is part of the first steps of a construction project. The use of a GPR device on a construction site reduces the risk of something going very wrong and potentially harming others.
GPR is Non-Intrusive
In the case of utility locating or ground-penetrating detection, GPR operates without the need for digging and provides a reliable and safe method of investigation that reduces damage to buried utilities and services. Ground Penetrating Radar performs mapping surveys that are used to confirm the location of underground utilities.
The data generated by GPR is used to plan several utility projects, as it determines the precise depth and location of underground utilities.