Infrasense Collaborates with GPR Imaging Solutions to Look "Down Under" Pavement Surface in Australia Using Ground Penetrating Radar
Boston, MA (PRWEB) November 26, 2014 -- Infrasense has recently developed a collaboration with GPR Imaging Solutions PTY LTD of Melbourne, Australia. GPR Imaging Solutions was formed in 2013 to introduce high speed subsurface scanning into the Australian market. As part of this collaboration, Infrasense has advised GPR Imaging Solutions in implementing the equipment for roadway scanning, and has provided data analysis support services.
The first collaboration between Infrasense and GPR Imaging Solutions was for a moisture infiltration investigation, on the 14-mile Princes Highway "Duplication" project between Waurn Ponds and Winchelsea. The purpose of this investigation was to identify areas where the pavement was infiltrated by groundwater, which was causing construction issues and delays. GPR Imaging Solutions was engaged by the BMD Group in Victoria, Australia, to carry out this investigation. Infrasense contributed its expertise in the data analysis portion of the investigation in order to locate and map areas of unusually high dielectric properties within the crushed rock pavement layers.
Infrasense and GPR Imaging Solutions collaborated on a second project for the proposed 23-mile Princes Highway "Duplication" from Winchelsea to Colac to identify the location and depth of asphalt patches, the depth of granular pavement layers, and the locations of possible moisture ingress. GPR Imaging Solutions was engaged by VicRoads, the government organization that manages the arterial road network in the State of Victoria, Australia to investigate this section as part of the planning and design process. Infrasense contributed to the data analysis phase of the project, calculating the layer thicknesses and dielectric values of the pavement.
The most recent collaboration between Infrasense and GPR Imaging Solutions was for a pavement structure evaluation of Gordon Street and Ballarat Road in Melbourne. These roads have a history of pavement subsidence and collapse due to the formation of cavities under the pavement and require regular maintenance. The objective of the pavement structure evaluation was to determine the thickness of pavement layers and to identify locations where voids exist or are likely to form in the future. Infrasense provided plan area maps of likely void locations, and pavement layer thickness plots and spreadsheets.
Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is an NDE technique that operates by transmitting short pulses of electromagnetic energy into the concrete, using a boxed antenna attached to a survey vehicle or rolled along the slab. These pulses are reflected back to the antenna providing a record of the properties and thicknesses of the layers within the slab. GPR can detect the depth and spacing of reinforcing steel, and the thickness of concrete slabs. It is able to detect subsurface deterioration of a slab through changes in the radar signal through the concrete. These results make GPR a useful tool in planning preventative maintenance and avoiding severe and costly structural issues down the road.
About Infrasense, Inc.
Since 1987, Infrasense, Inc. has applied the most current technologies to the most difficult challenges in subsurface scanning. Infrasense’s engineers are able to nondestructively extract critical information from a diverse range of structures. The firm has conducted research to advance the field of subsurface detection, while also providing valuable information to clients across the country. Learn more about Infrasense, Inc. and its services at http://www.infrasense.com.
Sarah Kelly, Infrasense, Inc., +1 (781) 648-0440, [email protected]
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