The objective of the study was to determine the practicality of using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) based devices for post-construction Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) density measurements. Non-nuclear density measurement techniques such as GPR are of interest to state highway agencies as substitutes to nuclear gauges primarily for safety concerns and to eliminate costs associated with radioactive material licensing. In addition, GPR has the ability to obtain 100 percent coverage of the section being tested. The work on this project was carried out using the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) 2.0 GHz Horn Antenna GPR system, and included an assessment of its capabilities and limitations, and determination of optimal operational parameters for asphalt density measurement. Key elements of this work were the implementation of automated software for processing the GPR data and a laser trigger system to automatically mark the start and end of the GPR survey sections. A precision statement for the GPR survey on newly pavement asphalt material has been developed based on the results of the field trials. The GPR data was found to have an error lower than 2.86 percent of the pavement core density, with 95 percent confidence, when GPR dielectric values are calibrated to pavement cores.
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