The Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Service

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a flexible, transportable, powerful, dominant and one man operated device used to detect underground structures and anomalies. The detector utilizes an omnidirectional unshielded transmitting system to locate hidden items up to maximum depths of 40 meters. All recognized irregularities and underground objects are displayed instantly on screen of an Android Tablet or PC.

Applications and detection capabilities

The ground penetrating radar is very useful and can be used for many different applications. Its portability and easy handling makes Ground Penetrating Rader(GPR) the perfect device for underground assessments, in archaeology, utility, mining, energy, construction, infrastructure and other related fields.  No matter what kind of concealed objects you are looking for - as long as these items and structures aren't too small and of different material than the surrounding soil - the Ground Penetrating Radar(GPR) can assist you in finding those targets easily and comfortably.

The Ground Penetrating Radar(GPR) can be utilized for a wide range of applications like 

• Construction -Know whats underground before you dig

• Utilities - Locate utilities underground

• Oil and Gas

• Bridge Inspections

• Concrete inspections

• Archaeological investigations

• Industrial/Construction assessments

• Treasure Hunting

The Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is able to identifysubstances and structures like 

• underground foundations, walls, basements and concrete reinforcements

• hidden cavities, graves and sepulchers

• buried drainage systems, feed lines, pipelines, conduits and cable harnesses

• water level and underground rivers and aquifers

• backfilled wells, galleries, trenches and dugouts

• septic tanks, distribution boxes and drainage pipes

• secret tunnels, bunkers and shelters

• buried treasure chests, statues and caches

The Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) works with a numerous transmission frequency range starting at 60 MHz up to 300 MHz which is understood by adjustable telescopic antennas. It also supports countless automatic adjustments to optimize your ground surveys on specific soil categories, which makes the handling of the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) very cool. So a non-destructive field examination is easily possible.

You just need to set your depth resolution and start surveying. The Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) remotely sends a signal into the underground and anticipates the echo which will be receivedremotely by the antennas to indicate the disturbance in the underground. These reflections will be measured and transferred to a Android Tablet or PC.

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Power source

The Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is powered by 8 AA batteries or - alternatively - by an optional external Power Pack for long lasting measurements. The Ground Penetrating Rader(GPR) itself has not many controls except one button and the depth regulator, which is used to adjust the maximum penetration depth of the ground penetrating radar service.

But on a final note how Deep Can It Goes?

This is perhaps one of the most frequently asked questions. In most cases an estimated depth range can be determined with accuracy based upon the subsurface material and the frequency of the Ground Penetrating Rader(GPR) antenna. For applications demanding higher resolution, such as locating rebar or conduits in concrete, a sophisticated frequency Ground Penetrating Rader(GPR) system (1,000 MHz) is used. This will give high resolution detail for down to roughly 24 inches in depth. Applications which require deeper penetration in ground soil requires a lower frequency (12.5 MHz to 500 MHz). Depending on the subsurface material the depth range can be from a few inches to thousands of feet.

Infrastructure Preservation Corporation, IPC is a nondestructive testing and robotic engineering company that utilizes ground penetrating radar, GPR in BridgeScan® bridge inspection services. BridgeScan® conducts a condition assessment of the entire bridge deck and approach roadway that goes way beyond gpr alone and is much more comprehensive that current manual inspections using the visual methods and chain dragging. To learn more about IPC’s bridge inspection services go to http://www.infrastructurepc.com or email info@infrastructurepc.com.

Subsurface Condition Assessment By Using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)

The bridge deck is the main component of the bridge which directly comes in contact with traffic and constantly bear the load which can cause minor or major deteriorations in the subsurface. Therefore regular subsurface condition assessment is very important for increasing the functional life of the structure.

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) inspection utilizes radio waves to accurately detect the unseen embedded structures in the concrete. GPR scanning can easily detect reinforced steel, cables, conduit, delamination, cracks, fractures, voids, and other structures embedded in concrete which makes it a safe inspection technique. It retains the structural integrity of the bridge deck.

Advantages of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)

There are many advantages of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) such as

• It can scan up to a depth of 16 inches

• Collects data in real time and can send it to others simultaneously

• No emission of radiation since it utilizes harmless radio waves

• Provide accurate structure location and depth

• Displays data in 2D and 3D for better visualization and easy interpretation

• Data can be stored for later use

Infrastructure Preservation Corporation (IPC) is utilizing this technology in the subsurface division for very long time and provided satisfactory results to our clients. We provide bridge deck condition assessment and analysis, bridge deck inspections and bridge testing using various combinations of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) air-coupled or ground-coupled antennas, and/or Infrared (IR) cameras.

Benefits of our Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) inspection services include

• 100% deck area coverage

• Multiple deck surveys can be completed in single day

• The electronic data can be stored in a database

• Corrosion in the subsurface and quantity of deterioration can be easily evaluated

• No lane closures are required

• Can work on old bridges whose records are lost or damaged

• Mapping of bridge deck rebar and quality control

Our GPR technicians have decade-long experience in GPR testing and our expert team can provide you accurate condition assessment report in short time. Our GPR inspection services ensure safety of the public and the inspection crew but don't compromise on the performance during the inspection. These features have made us a reliable name in bridge inspection services.

If you also want to become one of our satisfied clients or know more about our services, just visit our website www.infrastructurepc.com and our representative will get back to as early as possible.

Insights Of Bridge Preservation

Rise in number of vehicles with each passing year has affected the environment but it has also increased the load on nation’s bridges and roads. Extra load and other environmental factors like leaking joints or chloride penetration from salt water further damage these bridges and reduces their service life.

Much of the  infrastructure has been built in the United States at the beginning of twentieth century when cars were becoming more popular and transportation was becoming critical to an industrialized nation. But with passing decades, development of new infrastructures slowed down while the existing structures reached their mid and end of expected life. Fatal accidents like Silver Bridge collapse in 1967 in West Virginia and Mianus River Bridge collapse in 1983 in Connecticut have drawn the public and government attention towards the poor conditions of existing infrastructures like bridges, roads, tunnel, dams etc. and numerous inspection and bridge preservation programs came into action.

Bridge Preservation consists of Bridge inspection, through maintenance and timely repair which help in extending the service life of bridges. Bridge preservation is a systematic approach involving inspection and repairing of a bridge and its components with non destructive testing methods.

Bridge preservation program may include these following processes

• Deteriorated concrete repairs

• Bearing replacement

• Structural steel repairs

• Bridge superstructure Jacking

• Deck surface repairs

• Bridge joint replacements

• Pile repairs or replacements

• Concrete sealers or overlays 

Infrastructure Preservation Corporation (IPC) offers products and services using non destructive testing methods to assess structural stability of any infrastructure by finding any deterioration, cracks, voids, water intrusion etc. in bridge super-structure and sub-structure and provide condition assessment report with recommendations for the repair.

IPC’s inspections integrate modern technology and robotics with experienced bridge inspectors to supply quantitative data unlike anything seen before. Says Doug Thaler, Partner in IPC. Our quantitative results obtained from our in house patented modern technologies are easy to understand with its 2D and 3D graphical illustrations. The results provide the asset owners or department of transportation to better allocate assets, Thaler continued. Bridges are inspected on an every two year cycle with deficient bridges being inspected every year. Without integrating modern technology into the inspection process, bridges will continue to fail.  With non destructive testing methods being utilized on an entire bridge deck or post tension tendon, problems can be identified early and repairs can be prioritized to keep our infrastructure and public safe.  “Our team of expert and experience engineers and staff provides accurate condition assessment report of the whole structure and also the detailed report of the components like cable stays or post tension tendons, even high mast light poles. We also offer mechanical and electrical inspection of the movable bridges/draw bridges. Our emergency service gives you detailed report of your bridge or road in shortest time period and without interrupting the ongoing traffic on the bridge.

IPC offers greater safety to the public and the inspection crews during the bridge inspection with our non destructive testing technologies. With their advanced technologies, IPC is able to look out for any deteriorations visible to the naked eyes and also damage beneath the surface which are generally not found during visual inspection. Our automated devices saves time and labour during inspection and our inspector is able to check all the data in real time with our computerized outputs which are stored for later analysis and also to check deterioration progression from future inspections.

For further information about our services and products, leave us a message with your contact details on our website https://www.infrastructurepc.com/ and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Subscribe to our newsletter at our blog www.infrastructurepc.com/robotics to get the latest updates and visit our site to get all the information in detail(Ground PenetratingRadar).

Role Of Ground Penetrating Radar In Bridge Inspection

Bridge inspections are critical for proper maintenance of the bridge and to increase its service life. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is one of the most effective non destructive testing methods to assess the condition of the elements of bridge without damaging their serviceability.

Ground penetrating radar is a simple computerized device and made up of three main components: control unit, antenna and power supply. This equipment can be powered by variety of power supplies like small rechargeable batteries and vehicle batteries by using connectors and adapters according to the power source type.

Infrastructure Preservation Corporation, IPC has integrated GPR with additional technology and expertise to be able to collect reliable data which shows the deterioration, delamination and deboning of the bridge deck and other components. Although, traditional methods like visual inspection can collect inspection  data, it is subject to interpretation of the operator and provides no quantifiable data.

Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar By Itself

• It is used to determine thickness of the concrete cover

• To find out if reinforcement bars are intact or affected by environmental factors

• It is used to determine the position and depth of rebar

• To evaluate bridge deck thickness measurements in short time

• It is used to find embedment inside concrete structures prior to coring or cutting

• To collect quantifiable data about rebar and complactness of gravel

In combination with IPC’s BridgeScan® A patented process to inspect bridge decks and bridge approach ways the inspection results provide quantitative analysis of a bridge deck unlike anything seen before. This service was designed to replace the current subjective inspection and chain dragging, says Doug Thaler, Executive Vice President of IPC.

Ground Penetrating Radar is a safe and reliable method to collect data of concrete structures and can be illustrated in 2D images. It is able to evaluate surface and sub-surface layers with densities which are not obtainable by traditional lab methods like coring or by visual inspection.

How it works

Ground Penetrating Radar sends small signals into the material and records the time and strength of the returned signal. A series of signals transmitted over an area scan the material thoroughly. The energy pulses or signals pass through materials different electrical conduction or dielectric permittivity. The strength of the reflected signal is determined by the difference in dielectric constants and conductivities of the materials it has passed through. All the data is recorded in the memory of the device and can be evaluated in real time or can be stored for later analysis.  


Infrastructure Preservation Corporation (IPC) provides Ground Penetrating Radar services for road and bridge inspection and monitoring. Combined with the additional technology and processes, IPC developed BridgeScan®, a complete bridge deck and bridge approach way inspection.  Moreover, we have many patented advanced non destructive testing technologies that have been integrated into standard inspections to provide detailed information of different components of the bridge like CableScan to determine deteriorations in the suspension cables, CrackScan to determine cracks in the different structures. All of these inspections have been designed to be conducted within the DOTs current maintenance budgets.

Our aim is to increase safety of bridge inspections by using modern technologies and reduce cost and labour to save time and money for the bridge owners and transportation departments (department of transportation). We provide reliable, accurate and quantitative results in the condition assessment report so that the decision makers can prioritize the repairing and rebuilding process of the bridge components.

To know more about our product and services or to get a free estimate for your bridge inspection, you can visit our website https://www.infrastructurepc.com/ (Infrastructure Inspections) or send your queries by leaving us a message with your contact details and we will reach you as soon as possible.

Role Of Bridge Inspection In Bridge Maintenance

Bridges and roads are valuable assets of any nation and therefore they must be maintained in good condition. The maintenance of bridges highly depends on effective monitoring and inspection techniques. The technology used in these processes must be able to identify the problems occurring both on the surface and inside the structures but unfortunately, methods used in conventional bridge inspection and monitoring are not very effective.

During traditional routine bridge inspections inspectors conduct manual subjective inspections that although they comply with federal and state regulations do not do enough to maintain the safety of our nations infrastructure. Both AASHTO and the FHWA need to do more to ensure that modern technology and robotics are integrated into the required inspection parameters.

The current manual methods have several limitations e.g. visual aids have limited field of view which can provide limited data. Moreover, the bridge needs to be closed during bridge inspection and the crew need to put themselves in dangerous situation during inspection.

Infrastructure Preservation corporation (IPC) has revolutionize the bridge inspection and monitoring process with its automated tools. Our patented technologies utilize non destructive methods like electromagnetic waves, ultrasonics, infrared waves, aerial imaging, laser scanning etc. to find out any kind of deterioration or corrosions occurring externally and internally in a bridge and its components.

Our advanced technologies like CableScan® and PoleScan® reduces the risk associated with suspension cable inspection and pole inspection and also improvise data collection by providing the 360 degree field of view of the cables and poles of the bridge. The difference of results can be easily imagined by looking at the methods used in traditional manual bridge inspection and our robotic technology.

For example, if we take a case of pole or cable inspections then which do you think would collect more data? A bridge inspector hoisted hundred feet above the ground and checking the poles or cables for any corrosion and damage from only one side with the help of a helmet flashlight OR a robot inspecting the structure thoroughly from all sides. It is very clear that the robot will be able to collect more and accurate data than its human counterpart. The robotic data provides quantitative data that can help the asset owners allocate the proper resources to maintain our infrastructure assets.

Similarly, our CrackScan® technology collects accurate data from the deck and under the bridge of a concrete or steel structure. It is able to find those cracks which are not visible to naked eyes and therefore not considered in the final condition assessment report. The 2D and 3D maps created with this technology depicts the length, width and position of the cracks so that these cracks can be monitored and repaired accordingly. Moreover, during inspection with CrackScan®, the bridge doesn’t require any closure of the lanes during a bridge inspection which is important in that closing lanes delays traffic and parking heavy equipment on a bridge causes accidents. Robotics need to be adopted so that  our nations bridges can be properly maintained, traffic can keep moving and products can get to market and help ensure the publics safety.

IPC’s products are non-invasive but they accurately locate the problems like voids, cracks, water intrusion, delamination and deboning in concrete and steel structures. Therefore in order to reduce the time, total cost and increase public safety and and inspection crews modern technology and robotic bridge inspections are the best way to provide accurate condition assessment reports.

For more information Infrastructure Preservation Corporation, “IPC” our products and services, visit our website https://www.infrastructurepc.com/ or contact us through our contact form available at our site and we will contact you back as soon as possible.

Why bridge inspection is important?

Bridge inspection is crucial part of bridge maintenance. This practice assures that whatever lies over, between and beneath the bridge surface remain intact and in good working condition. A bridge inspection report includes all the main points which need to be repaired or replaced.

Although, bridge inspection might sound like that it is only a bridge deck assessment but it involves detailed evaluation of every component of the bridge therefore it is a time consuming, labour intensive and expensive practice.  The major important reasons of bridge inspection are:

Safety and assurance

To insure that bridges remain safe for  ongoing traffic bridge inspections are conducted every two years.  If a bridge was found to have any deficiencies than those bridges are inspected every year.  The routine or in – depth bridge inspection  should indicate that the bridge is safe for everyone. Regular periodic inspection gives confidence to people and bridge owner that its capacity is well maintained.

Maintenance

By conducting regular bridge inspections and maintaining them properly they can be kept free from any cracks, voids, rusting and other kinds of deteriorations. The maintenance crew work according to the recommendations provided in the inspection reports. By attending to these issues early in a bridge or other structures lifecycle the bridges life expectancy can be extended indefinitely.

Monitoring

It is important to repair any component, track the level of minor or major deterioration, additional damages. Generally, many components of bridge are similar in length, shape and size therefore it is more important to check if other similar components are also affected by deteriorating factor or not. By comparing future inspection cycles we can compare deterioration progression over time and address the most urgent issues in order of importance.

Repairing

It can save lots of time and money spent on manufacturing and installation of new components. Sometimes, minor repairing can increase the life span of the affected component of the structure but if the sum of all repairs costs more than replacement then the latter option is the best option. Bridge inspection report provides data to the decision makers so that they can make the best budgetary and safety decision.

Planning

The Bridge inspection report helps in planning ahead and budgeting maintenance and repairs on  a bridge to increase its life span and maintain its capacity. Bridge inspection reports provides detailed condition assessment of whole structure so that you can prioritize the repairs according to severity, repair cost and budget restraints. There is certainly not enough money to either replace every bridge or repair every issue on every bridge.

Infrastructure Preservation Corporation (IPC) is a trusted name in bridge inspection and preservation as well as high mast light pole inspections. Our non intrusive and no destructive patented technologies makes bridge inspections much safer for the inspection crews, provides accurate condition assessment reports with actionable items. Our patented robotic inspection devices along with our proprietary inspection methods like BridgeScan® PoleScan®, CrackScan®, TendonScan® and others are able to provide much more quantitative data than ever seen before. Many of these inspections no longer require road closures or heavy equipment like bucket trucks to be parked on a bridge. This prevents accidents, saves the department of transportation money and no longer inconveniences the public, says Doug Thaler of Infrastructure Preservation Corporation. Our use of modern technology and robotics  produce quantitative data that the asset owners so badly need to properly understand the condition of their infrastructure. As bridges and other infrastructure assets continue to age we need to better understand their current condition in order to properly maintain them. Up till now this information did not exist. Why do you think our bridges are in the shape that they’re in.

For more information, you can contact us at info@infrastructurepc.com  or visit our website. 

https://www.infrastructurepc.com/

Bridge Inspections|Non Destructive Testing|NDT|NDE | GPR

Ground Penetrating Radar with custom interpretation software for Bridge Inspections.

Bridge Inspections|Non Destructive Testing|NDT|NDE | GPR

Ground Penetrating Radar For Bridge Inspections

IPC's (Infrastructure Preservation Corporation) Customized Ground Penetrating Radar specifically designed for roads and bridge decks. Peers through 15 feet of concrete to assess rebar placement.

IPC can assess road conditions, load ratings and deterioration. Including water behind backwalls, deterioration condition of decks, rebar patterns and fill density conditions.  For more information contact info@infrastructurepc.com or visit www.infrastructurepc.com.