Possibilities of using Ground penetrating radar in the Diagnosis of Road Pavements

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the ground penetrating radar technology with special attention given to it's possible uses in the road pavement diagnostics field. This work outlines, in moderate detail, the basics of the ground penetrating radar, the principles of its function, the use of GPR in related engineering fields as well as the various uses of GPR in road diagnostics. Chapter 2 outlines the various basic principles of ground penetrating radar, this includes the basic physical properties associated with GPR, equations that apply to the basic function of the radar, the GPR hardware components as well as the software required for data acquistion and processing. The applications of the ground penetrating radar in road pavement diagnostics are outlined, in detail, in chapter 4 of this thesis. It covers its use in road pavement investigations and quality assurance surveys of various pavement types as well as the feasibility and limitations of its use in the aforementioned situations. The final part of the thesis is the practical component of this work. The practical portion not only involves a survey with the GPR unit, but also includes classic soil tests, namely, a soil porosity test as well as a direct shear test on the same soil samples that were used for the ground penetrating radar survey