The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility and accuracy of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) in locating delaminations and de-bonding in asphalt concrete overlaid concrete bridge decks. The traditional "chaining" method is a less effective option for finding subsurface defects after an overlay is in place. An infrared thermographic and GPR evaluation was conducted on the I-70 Polk-Quincy viaduct in 1993. A second GPR study was performed in 1997 to evaluate the condition of the bridge deck previous to removal of the existing asphalt overlay and high density concrete overlay and repair of the deteriorated deck. The results of the 1997 GPR study were compared to the results of the 1993 GPR study, the 1998 through 1999 chaining, actual repair areas and portions of the 1989 Geotechnical Unit bridge deck evaluation.

Reinforcement concrete (RC) bridge decks are surveyed regularly to ensure that they are safe to use and to determine if they require rehabilitation or replacement. The bridge surveys include evaluating subsurface bridge condition. RC bridges have steel reinforcement bars, also called rebars, embedded in their surface, which are prone to corrosion due to factors like moisture, carbonation, use of deicing salts and aging. By the time the effect of corroded rebars is visible on deck surface in form of cracks, the damage is tremendous. If left unchecked, corroded rebars can deteriorate at a faster and significantly affect bridge integrity. So, it is very important to timely identify and repair deteriorated rebars. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a widely used non-destructive technology (NDT) for detecting subsurface anomalies in variety of structures including RC bridges. The raw GPR data is represented as images that can be processed for obtaining a deterioration map of a bridge, which indicates the level of corrosion in rebars for the entire bridge. The existing methods to generate the deterioration map using GPR data are semi-automated, time consuming and depends on expertise of the engineer analyzing the data. In this thesis, we work towards automating the process of obtaining deterioration map of RC bridge decks based on measuring signal attenuation at the upper rebar mat using GPR. Intensity and gradient-based feature vectors were explored to construct a classifier, which can detect the regions of interest (ROI) corresponding to each rebar in images. Each classifier was tested on datasets constructed from two different bridges. Further, the exact location of rebar was found in each ROI. Once all the rebars were detected throughout the bridge, depth-correction of the measured attenuation is applied so that the component of that measured attenuation caused solely by variation in rebar depth does not skew the results. Finally, a deterioration map was generated which indicates the level of corrosion in the bridge. The proposed algorithm was tested on two RC bridges and the deteriorated regions obtained are compared with the results obtained using existing tools.

"Ground penetrating radar (GPR) data were acquired across four bridge decks with the objective of developing an advanced workflow for GPR operation that would allow the bridge owners to estimate repair quantities for certain bridge decks, based on GPR data. The primary contributions from this research are as follows: 1. It was demonstrated that the conditions of bridge decks can be cost-effectively and efficiently assessed using the GPR tool. 2. The GPR tool's ability to provide rapid and reliable results in comparison with conventional bridge deck condition assessment techniques was established. 3. The qualitative and quantitative relationships between the GPR reflection amplitude and depth of concrete degradation were analyzed to develop an effective technique to estimate the amount of deteriorated concrete present in a particular bridge deck; this technique could enable bridge owners to use the GPR tool (only) to estimate the thickness of concrete that would be removed by processes such as hydro demolition. 4. The air-launched and ground-coupled GPR systems were compared in terms of accuracy of data acquisition and reliability of results. It was determined that air-launched GPR is a reliable tool for the fast and cost-effective assessment of bridge decks. This work is new and important because it extends the traditional use of the GPR technique and presents the advanced approach for data interpretation and concrete material removal estimation, especially in areas where deterioration was not visually exposed"--Abstract, page iii.

This report from the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2), which is administered by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, describes development of nondestructive testing techniques that are capable of detecting and quantifying delaminations in HMA pavements. This NDT technique is applicable to construction, project design, and network-level assessments. This e-book contains 5 different volumes, the last 4 involving more technical descriptions of the project.

As the nation's infrastructure continues to age, there is a need to effectively and economically monitor and inspect bridges. With the introduction of non-destructive testing technologies such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for condition assessment of bridge decks, states will be better equipped to inspect, assess, and prioritize transportation funding to maintain, preserve, and improve infrastructure. The objective of the research is to improve the condition assessment of bridge decks through the use of GPR which can increase the speed, effectiveness, and accuracy of inspections. The non-destructive evaluation technique provides information that can be used to identify the potential amount of internal deterioration of a concrete bridge deck that cannot be identified with a visual inspection. As in many other states, New Mexico currently uses the chain drag method in which the inspection of the deck condition is solely based on inspector's subjective interpretation of the sound produced by dragging a chain over the bridge deck. The use of GPR has the potential to greatly improve the quality of the inspections by collecting more reliable and less subjective information on the condition of bridge decks. Through the collection and analysis of data acquired from the GPR on a set of reinforced concrete decks, this research seeks to provide a better understanding of GPR technology, data acquisition, and training needs for adoption of GPR in bridge deck inspections in the state of New Mexico. With a better understanding of the technology, GPR can become and indispensable tool for more informed decisions for the allocation of funds for maintenance and improved asset management. This research improves implementation and provides effective economic methods to employ this technology to improve the inspection and maintenance of bridge infrastructure.

There is an urgent need for methods that can be used to rapidly and nondestructively determine the condition of an old concrete deck beneath an asphaltic concrete wearing course. In recognition of this need, the technique of ground-penetrating radar was investigated. In practice, microwave-frequency impulses of about 1.1 nanosecond pulse width are transmitted into an overlaid bridge deck by a radar transducer that also serves as a receiver. When these electromagnetic pulses are directed through a delaminated concrete area, there is some pulse reflection from the deteriorated concrete, (the more severe the delamination, the more pronounced the reflection), in addition to the normal reflections at the air-asphaltic concrete and asphaltic concrete portland cement concrete interfaces and the reinforcing steel. The reflected pulses are then picked up by the transducer and transformed into the audio frequency range by a time-domain sampling technique and displayed on a facsimile graphic recorder as a pulse reflection profile. Although intended for use on overlaid bridge decks, the technique was experimentally used on three non-overlaid concrete decks and two old concrete deck slabs, in addition to three overlaid decks. To obtain 'ground truths' for comparison, conventional soundings were performed on the non-overlaid decks and slabs and two of the overlaid decks after their overlayments were removed. The results showed that ground-penetrating radar can be used successfully to detect concrete delaminations in both nonoverlaid and overlaid bridge decks, since the delaminations are manifested in the recorded radar pulse reflection profiles as recognizable irregularities in the reflection bands corresponding to the top mat of the reinforcement. These irregularities, or signatures of concrete delaminations, were often in the form of depressions, but in some instances appeared as blurs or breaks in the profiles. It was also found that the radar sometimes missed small delaminated areas of about 1 ft. (0.3 m) width and less. However, this relatively small deficiency does not impair the overall effectiveness of the technique as a nondestructive inspection tool for both types of decks. The experimental procedure can be used as is to inspect decks, if lane closure is not a major concern. However, with little further experimentation, this requirement may be completely eliminated.

The state of Wyoming alone has 13.1 million square feet of bridge deck, and evaluation of those decks has become an important part of the Wyoming Department of Transportation's (WYDOT) management of bridge repairs. The authors believe that development and advancement of nondestructive evaluation methods over the past 25 years may provide a more efficient, standardized, and accurate method for evaluating bridge deck conditions compared with current practices. A study was performed on three bridge decks in Wyoming: the First Street Bridge in Casper, the Douglas I-25 Bridge, and the Remount I-80 Bridge. For each bridge, an investigation was done using standard WYDOT practices for chain dragging. In addition, the bridges were evaluated using impact echo, thermal imaging, and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) techniques. All three methods considered were successful, and the damage locations between the impact echo, thermal imaging, and GPR generally correlated well. Based on this study, a complete bridge deck evaluation should combine impact echo with GPR testing to provide the most accurate predictions of delamination and debonding in support of optimal maintenance decisions.