Abstract
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a prospecting method frequently used in monitoring asphalt pavements, especially as an optimal complement to the defection test that is commonly used for determining the structural condition of the pavements. Its application is supported by studies that demonstrate the existence of a relationship between the parameters determined in GPR data (usually travel time and wave amplitude) and the preservation conditions of the structure. However, the analysis of frequencies is rarely applied in pavement assessment. Nevertheless, spectral analysis is widespread in other fields such as medicine or dynamic analysis, being one the most common analytical methods in wave processing through use of the Fourier transform. Nevertheless, spectral analysis has not been thoroughly applied and evaluated in GPR surveys, specifically in the field of pavement structures. This work is focused on analyzing the behavior of the GPR data spectra as a consequence of different problems affecting the pavement. The study focuses on the determination of areas with failures in bituminous pavement structures. Results epitomize the sensitivity of frequencies to the materials and, in some cases, to the damage.
Highlights
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a prospecting method frequently used in monitoring asphalt pavements, especially as an optimal complement to the defection test that is commonly used for determining the structural condition of the pavements
Some measuring equipment, such as the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) and the curviameter allow the deflection bowl generated by the load applied during the test to be interpreted, and the modulus of elasticity of the various layers that make up the pavement to be determined by means of back calculation [1]
The comparison of these spectra with the International Roughness Index (IRI) and FWD data and with specific cores shows the effect due to the typology of the construction cross-section and, for a same cross-section typology that is due to the different integrity levels
Summary
The basic parameter measured in the deflection tests is the vertical displacement produced in the pavement after applying a load. Some measuring equipment, such as the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) and the curviameter allow the deflection bowl generated by the load applied during the test to be interpreted, and the modulus of elasticity of the various layers that make up the pavement to be determined by means of back calculation [1]. Chea, and Martínez [2] for example analyse the adhesion between layers in a semi-rigid pavement showed that the deflection curve did not vary significantly, but that its first derivative and the radius of curvature under the loaded wheel could be used as a lack of adhesion indicator
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