If you’re planning to do any excavation work, it’s important to have a Ground Penetrating Radar Scanning done first. This way, you can minimize the risk of running into unexpected obstacles that may cause damage or harm to your workers and equipment. GPR is a non-destructive technique that uses high-frequency radio waves to detect subsurface elements. It can identify objects that are embedded within a variety of media, including rock, soil, fresh water, ice, pavements, and concrete structures.
Non-destructive
GPR scanning is a non-destructive method for detecting and imaging subsurface materials. It can be used to inspect concrete, rock, ice or other solid structures without disturbing the surface.
A transmitter antenna directs pulses of electromagnetic energy into the ground. The signals then reflect back and are captured by the receiving antenna. The reflected waves provide a reading, which can be interpreted by experienced GPR technicians.
GPR is an effective tool for assessing the deterioration of embedded metallic targets like rebar and concrete. However, the sensitivity of the technique depends on the specific condition of the target.
Non-invasive
Ground Penetrating Radar Scanning (GPR) is a non-invasive and reliable tool for subsurface inspections. It can help identify buried foundations, historic structures, and relics that would be difficult or impossible to find using drilling or X-ray scanning methods.
GPR uses electromagnetic waves to produce a radar pulse that travels through the soil, rock, and other ground material. These pulses produce echoes and variations in the electrical conductivity of the ground and other materials, which are recorded and analyzed.
The sensitivity of GPR depends on the radio frequency, the electrical conductivity of the scanned medium, and the power being transmitted. In general, frequencies ranging from 1 to 1000 MHz provide the highest sensitivity and resolution.
Blood Hound utilizes GPR to locate and map underground utilities, such as plastic conduits or concrete storm and sanitary sewers that can’t be located using traditional cable and pipe locating techniques. The resulting maps are a valuable resource that can save time and money for future planning and construction projects.
Cost-effective
Ground Penetrating Radar Scanning is an economical solution for locating pipe, cable, structural fittings and voids. It’s also safer than concrete X-ray scanning and requires little-to-no evacuation from work sites.
Using radar technology, GPR can detect underground structures like pipes and lines that are embedded in various media including rock, soil, freshwater, ice, and concrete. It’s an essential tool to keep projects on track and in budget, particularly in construction where costs are critical.
The process is simple, but it requires skilled and experienced personnel to acquire high-quality survey data and geophysical expertise to interpret the results. Changes in EM properties, such as dielectric permittivity, conductivity, and magnetic permeability, are detected when the transmitted wave pulses reflect off of boundaries that are characterized by contrast in these properties.
Time-saving
Aside from being time-saving, GPR scanning can help professionals locate telecommunication lines or academics search for archaeological artifacts without breaking the surface. This saves them the expense of hiring excavation crews and bringing in fresh supplies every day.
Answer: Ground Penetrating Radar Scanning works by sending a pulse of electromagnetic energy into the ground and measuring changes and contrasts in the signal when it is reflected. These changes are caused by dielectric and conductive properties in the ground and surrounding objects.
The amount of time it takes for the signal to reach its target depends on the speed and depth of the return, but it can also be influenced by the material under the concrete or asphalt. For example, native material that is composed mainly of dry sand and gravel will give a clearer return at a higher velocity than saturated silty clay.
However, a speed-depth calibration should be performed before a GPR scan can produce satisfactory depth estimates. Additionally, it may be necessary to supplement a GPR survey with absolute data from boreholes and sample cores or trial pits, depending on the project’s complexity.