Ground Penetrating Radar (GRP) for Pavement Evaluation

In the near future the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department Pavement Management System (PMS) will utilize a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) to collect network level pavement structural data to aid in predicting performance of pavement sections. One of the drawbacks to running the FWD is that pavement thickness is required for the tested pavement section. The standard method for obtaining pavement thickness information is coring. Coring for a network level survey would be cost prohibitive. Coring costs can run between $3,000 and $3,600 per day with a typical collection distance of 20 miles per day. The Department manages over 16,000 centerline miles of highways. Previous research has shown Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a proven and reliable technology that can be used as a feasible alternative to provide pavement thickness data. GPR data collection can be costly as well; contract services for pavement thickness can cost between $50 and $100 per mile from a reputable service provider. GPR equipment has become less cumbersome, more user-friendly and more affordable in the last few years. There are GPR technologies that employ multiple antennas to provide pavement layer thickness for network level surveys. These newer technologies could provide the pavement layer thicknesses required for network level FWD data collection in a timely and cost-effective manner.

• Record URL:
  http://transportation.mst.edu/research/r261/

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $20005.00
• Contract Numbers:

  DTRT06-G-0014

  R261

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla

  328 Butler-Carlton Hall
  1401 N. Pine Street
  Rolla, MO  United States  65401
• Principal Investigators:

  Anderson, Neil

• Start Date: 20090701
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20120630
• Source Data: RiP Project 34522

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Core samples; Cost effectiveness; Data collection; Falling weight deflectometers; Ground penetrating radar; Pavement management systems; Thickness
• Geographic Terms: Arkansas
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01484893
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Center for Infrastructure Engineering Studies
• Contract Numbers: DTRT06-G-0014, R261
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jun 26 2013 1:00AM