Non-destructive tests (NDT) are an essential tool used in special inspections to gather detailed information aboutthe condition of a bridge. The inspection of bridge decks is a critical task, and, currently, can be successfully carriedout using a wide range of NDT techniques. Nevertheless, some of these techniques are excessively expensive and timeconsuming. One of these techniques, the ground penetrating radar (GPR), has been used for some decades in thenon-destructive inspection and diagnosis of concrete bridges. GPR is useful to find general information about thetrue position of reinforcement and tendon ducts, and check the quality of the construction and materials. Asignificant number of reinforced and prestressed concrete bridges are deteriorating at a rapid rate and need to berepaired and strengthened. During these rehabilitation processes, designers are often faced with a lack of originaldesign plans and unawareness of the real position of reinforcement and tendon ducts. In this paper, three casestudies of the use of GPR techniques for the inspection of concrete bridges are presented and analysed. The mainaim of this research is to show the strong need and usefulness of these techniques, which can provide non-visibleinformation about structural geometry and integrity required for strengthening and rehabilitation purposes.
展开▼
