Imaging of electromagnetic waves for bridge deck evaluation

Visual inspection is the commonly used method for bridge deck inspection. However, this method depends on the intuition of the inspector and his experience. The deteriorated condition of the nation´s infrastructure requires better techniques for evaluation. Nondestructive evaluation can verify the integrity of a structure or any of its components without compromising its ability to perform in service. Several nondestructive techniques are implemented on concrete bridge decks evaluation. However, ground penetrating radar (GPR) is one of the promising methods in this area. Radar scans are collected and transferred into images where information about the subsurface can be extracted. This paper discusses the basis of GPR along with the advantages and disadvantages of the method. In addition, a case study of a bridge deck with asphalt overlay will be presented.