Detection of delamination between plane layered media using pulse geodars

Abstract

The relevance of the problem follows from the consideration of the consequences of such serious road pavement defect as delamination. Also, the validity of the problem stems from the fact that the use of modern pulsed GPR provides low-cost monitoring of roads. This becomes possible when obtaining primary GPR data during the movement of the laboratory car with the speed of the transport stream, and, in addition, due to the exclusion of such labour-intensive operations as coring or cutting sections of pavement. The purpose of the work is to analyze various processing methods for ultra-wideband signals of pulsed GPR to study the capabilities of signal processing methods and algorithms to increase the reliability of detection of delamination. Materials and methods. During the investigation of the processing model and experimental data, first of all, modern theoretical methods of signal processing and computer modelling were used. Results. The factors determining the differences and characteristic features of pulsed signals of GPR, which can be used to detect delamination, as a violation of contact between layers, or to detect the presence of thin layers in a multilayer medium, are established and analyzed. Conclusions. The proposed approach to the formulation of the problem, together with the theoretical analysis and the results of numerical modelling, made it possible to justify the possibility of increasing the reliability of the non-destructive quality control of various structures and the effective detection of critical defects using GPR methods.