Reverse-Time Migration Imaging of Ground-Penetrating Radar in NDT of Reinforced Concrete Structures

Abstract

The evaluation and inspection of steel bars in reinforced concrete structures are critical for prolonging the service life of buildings. In this regard, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been a crucial alternative due to its non-invasiveness and convenience. This paper reports the experimental activities on a test-site area inside a camp in Shanghai, China. To assess the concrete structures of the building, GPR was employed for the detection and localization of rebars in columns, beams, and floors. From the GPR B-scan profiles acquired using a high-frequency antenna, the exact quantity of reinforcements was identified according to the hyperbola responses. Considering the difficulty of inferring the exact position and the scale of the rebars, we applied reverse time migration (RTM) to collapse the hyperbolic response and retrieve the target in a migrated image. To verify the effectiveness of the RTM algorithm, we carried out an experiment on a concrete model with three reinforced bars. We also utilized the RTM algorithm to process the B-scan profiles collected in a column that was later excavated. The imaging results validated the capacity of RTM in localizing and shaping rebars. Then, we employed the RTM algorithm for the GPR B-scan data collected from the other column. Based on the imaging profile, the quantity and positions of the rebars were correctly determined. Moreover, the thickness of the protective layer was evaluated according to the migrated result. These results demonstrate that GPR combined with RTM could provide useful foundation data for structural evaluation.