Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)

TerraSIRch SIR-3000 system

Ground radar data showing a borehole cap

Unprocessed and processed Ground Radar data showing rebar

Ground Radar (also known as Ground Penetrating Radar, GPR, Impulse Radar Ground Probing Radar, Sub-surface Radar and Surface Penetrating Radar) was originally developed for mapping geological features. It is now increasingly used in engineering and offers a unique non-invasive and non-destructive means for the characterisation of the subsurface and subsurface features.

Ground Radar can be used on a wide variety of materials, most commonly soil, concrete and asphalt.

The following is a brief list of the more common uses of Ground Radar:

• Construction Detail - Ground Radar is can determine the general arrangement of construction, changes in material type, location of structural steelwork and layer thickness.
• Concrete Mapping - Ground Radar can be used to inspect concrete floors, walls, decks, slabs, tunnels, balconies, warehouses and garages. It can locate rebar, tendons, conduits, voids and measure slab thickness.
• Chimney Flue Location - Ground Radar provides a quick and non-intrusive method of locating and mapping chimney flues. The results can either be marked on site or onto CAD drawings.
• Roads, Runways and Pavement Surveys - Ground Penetrating Radar can determine pavement thickness (asphalt and concrete), detect voids underneath the road pavement, identify de-bonding between layers and determine layer thickness.
• Buried Objects - GPR can be used to locate underground storage tanks (UST), grave location, forensic investigations and a wide variety of other buried objects.
• Service Location - Ground Radar is the only non-destructive technology that can identify non-metallic as well as metallic subsurface utilities. It is suitable for the location of services including water, sewer, gas, electric, telephone and fibre optic.
• Hazardous Waste - Having successfully located buried pipes, drums and underground storage tanks, Ground Radar can, under the right conditions, be used to identify the extent of any leakage and contamination.
• Foundations - Ground Radar is a useful tool for the location, investigation and determination of the extent of footings and foundations.