Everything You Should Know About Ground Penetrating Radar

1. Everything You Should Know About Ground Penetrating Radar Non-destructive subsurface testing and earth exploration methods like the use of ground penetrating radar have become more favourable because they enable operators to save a lot of time and money. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is an imaging technology that utilises electromagnetic wave propagation to identify and image the changes in the ground’s electrical properties. Here are some of the most important things you should know about it: • What it is used for - GPR systems are reliable when locating underground services, utility lines, and concrete post tensioning, reinforcement and conduits. It can evaluate some concrete dimensions like slab thickness of suspended slabs. Likewise, they are versatile for monitoring the structural integrity of airplane runways, detecting unexploded land mines, land surveying for construction purposes, forensic research, and groundwater studies. • How it works– Ground penetrating radar sends tiny pulses of energy into the material being tested through an antenna and a built-in computer records the strength and the time it took for the reflected signals to return. Variations in the subsurface create reflections that are detected by the system, then stored for later reference. The reflections are generated by different materials like man-made objects (i.e. wires and pipes) and differences in geological structures. • Ease of use– Learning to use a ground penetrating radar is surprisingly easy even for first-time users. New users typically require one to tw0 days of training to familiarise themselves with GPR theory and practice. • It comes with high-quality sensors and software– High-quality GPR systems combine the latest software and sensors to ensure the most advanced concrete scanning system. • How deep it can go–The depth of a ground penetrating radar’s penetration typically depends on the object being surveyed and the frequency of the antenna. Hence, it will penetrate rock, asphalt, soil, and ice differently due to the unique electrical properties of each of those materials. Low-frequency antennas will penetrate deeply, but a loss in resolution may occur as frequency drops. Soil conditions may affect the depth of penetration as well. For instance, sandy dry soil with minimal salt content provides high- quality resolution, and clay-based heavy soils are typically difficult to penetrate.