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Ground Penetrating Radar Systems

Structural Testing

by Amy Hall

Structural Testing with GPR

Structural testing is done using Ground Penetrating Radar in order to locate voids in concrete or any subsurface utilities beneath the surface. It is important to conduct this type of testing in order to determine if there are any structural weaknesses in building structures or bridges. Without this type of testing, public safety would be compromised as weakened structures could collapse and cause fatal injuries.

Traditionally X-rays have been used to test for subsurface utilities or structural damage. This is a reliable method, however it is not as cost-efficient or speedy as imaging technology. The user often has to take many different shots from different angles and locations to get the best picture of what is going on substructurally.

Advantages of NDT

There are many advantages to using subsurface radar for structural testing over the use of X-rays. First, as we stated earlier, X-rays often have to be taken from many different angles to get the most accurate location of subsurface utilities. This means that the customer has to pay for each image taken, which is certainly not cheap.

By using GPR, an antenna is simply scanned over the targeted area of interest, and radio pulses are given off when embedded utilities or voids are detected. This data can even be downloaded onto a laptop computer for the most accurate location. This data is determined within minutes, which saves on time, which ultimately saves money.

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