Monday, October 29, 2012

The Many Uses Of Ground Penetrating Radar



Ground penetrating radar just recently promised to become critical in the solving of one of America's most enduring unresolved secrets: the ultimate fate of former Teamster's President Jimmy Hoffa. After a tipster advised Roseville, Michigan law enforcement that he spotted a body being entombed under the driveway in July 1975, just a day following Hoffa vanished, police officers used GPR and discovered an "anomaly" below the place. The fact is, dirt specimens used for testing showed that no human remains had been entombed there, and the solution to Hoffa's disappearance is still to be found.

For many members, however, GPR is often used for a lot more boring reasons. As an example, GPR technology can see whether there are below the ground water mains or maybe utility lines in construction sites which might be damaged during excavation and therefore that might trigger job downtime plus costly delays because of repairs to the damage caused. In addition, it will detect the existence of obstructions like reinforcing steel and voids, which could contribute to worker injury. Also the price of making use of the technology is ultimately more cost-effective as compared to the cost of getting to cover the costs associated with accidents and structural damage.

Ground penetrating radar makes use of high frequency radio signals sent in to the soil to be able to identify underground things. Their presence is indicated when the signal returns to the receiver as echoes and then the outcomes are displayed on the GPR display screen.

The depth and location of the items are depicted by the length of time it takes the echo to travel to and from it. The data are at that point translated by the technician whether the object is the root or subsurface infrastructure. Software can also be used to turn the raw data into three-D maps which allow the features to become more readily interpreted as they are shown in a more visual form.


Several types of ground penetrating radar models could be used dependent on the item being detected along with the surface type on which it is being utilised. Let's say, for anyone who is finding rebar in cement, the 1,000 MHz high-frequency GPR can be selected as that will provide high res for up to Twenty-four inches deep. On the other hand, whenever you require much deeper penetration, just like if the radar is going to be applied in ground soil, reduced frequencies from 12.5 MHz up to Five-hundred MHz are generally selected which could supply depth range that can go from a few inches up to thousands of feet.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

What Are The Distinctions Between Concrete X-ray and GPR?

Concrete X-ray is in reality a misleading expression since many workmen use it to mean ground penetrating radar. Adding to the confusion is that, although concrete radiography is progressively being superseded with GPR, older technology is consistently utilised. Cement radiography involves taking x-ray images of the layers of concrete to find out where post-tension cables, rebar as well as conduits are placed within it. The X-ray machine can go through approximately thirty inches inside of the slab and sometimes even deeper depending on its composition, and take really thorough images which are simpler to read compared with GPR records.


Are there any other differences between concrete x-ray and GPR?

1. Cement radiography has to be processed off-site. The results of the scan are put onto x-ray film, that still has to get developed before the outcome can be viewed. With GPR, the end results instantly appear on the unit's digital screen. However, a lot of radiography providers have mobile darkrooms that enable the film to be|developed on location, giving you the outcomes in minutes.

2. Cement radiography uses each side of the slab for scanning, with one end containing the film and the other the reflector plate. Therefore, there are limitations with the thickness of the slab being scanned. If you have iridium-based radiography machines, you are able to scan a slab as much as twelve inches, whereas by having cobalt-based radiography it is easy to read slab with a maximum thickness of 36 inches.

3. Concrete radiography demands the operator to wear safety gear such as a lead apron to keep them protected, and having an eighty ft space around the slab to make sure that viewers will not be come in contact with the radiation out of the x-ray unit.

4. Concrete radiography is actually more expensive than GPR because of the higher cost of the equipment involved as well as the wages of the x-ray specialist handling it. Alternatively, the GPR operator could be taught to manage the machine just in 1 day, although you would still require an experienced technician in order to interpret the information.

5. Concrete radiography can't get data on large building sites. If you would like gather info from larger slabs, you simply must continually set up the concrete x-ray device at several areas where you want to gather data. By contrast, GPR is a tool which can take measurements of large areas merely by being set up once.


Wednesday, October 24, 2012


Concrete scanning is an essential solutions for contractors excavating a construction site, because it helps them find and get away from trouble spots that causes job slowdowns or maybe shutdowns. Generally known as ground penetrating radar (GPR), this kind of engineering works on the radar that will sends out small bursts of radio wave pulses to see if you can find any specific obstructions in the underground section. The appearance of a blockage is indicated whenever an echo is seen and the depth from which it's situated can be discovered by how lengthy echo takes to go back along with the intensity of the signal.

Concrete scanning is usually used for the subsequent features:
  1. Diagnosing leakages in water lines. It can be hard to look for leaking in tubes running below concrete slabs without having to excavate the slab. With GPR, you can easily know if there is drip and where it is to ensure plumbing technicians will start digging in that area. Unseen and then unrepaired leakages can result in expensive water bills in addition to severe property damage
  2. Locating utility pipes. One of the primary hazards in building sites is that you'll by mistake drill down in to underground utility lines, which causes destruction that can induce thousands of dollars to refurbish. GPR permits you to discover places where there exist electricity lines to enable them to be stayed clear of.
  3. Determining soil composition. GPR can easily review the make up of the soil where the structure will be constructed, to make sure structural integrity and prevent future complications, such as the foundation abruptly sinking because of the ground is too soft to take the weight.

However, GPR innovation has its boundaries, the most serious in which is that this can not work as well in a few kinds of land surface, like wet clay that ground that has been greatly contaminated by salt.

Before the site undergoes concrete scanning, there are some things you must do to prepare it to allow you to get essentially the most precise effects from GPR.

  1. Get rid of all muddle from your area to get examined, because this can hinder the radar and affect the end results.
  2. Determine substitute locations to be examined if the initial location turns out to be not fit.
  3. Make sure the soil is dried up before having it looked at, because waters mirrors radar signal and thus, the radar will give undependable outcomes.
  4. If you are using the radar in order to find underground conduits, switch on the circuits because high voltage conduits are simpler to locate when compared with lower voltage ones.



Contact CSI Concrete Scanning and Investigations before you drill, cut or core concrete. For work place safety and to keep your project from costly down time, concrete scanning is essential.