GEORADAR

GEORADAR: Development of the georadar technique for road testing

Context

Georadar or ground radar is a non-destructive geophysical technique based on the propagation and reflection of electromagnetic waves with frequencies between 20 MHz and 3 GHz. As this technique is sensitive to the properties of the medium (permittivity, electrical conductivity and magnetic susceptibility), it can be used for road monitoring. In particular, it can detect certain cavities, the presence of point reflectors (cables, pipes, etc.), certain interfaces between different layers and defects or variations in soil structure. However, measurement processing remains complex, and improvements are still needed. What’s more, there is currently no specific standard for georadar at European level.

Objective

The research focused on the following elements: detection of certain impediments under typical roadways, cavities under wearing surfaces, as well as the thickness of road structure layers.

Implementation

Several sites were chosen to test the radar equipment on real-life cases. ISSeP is a subcontractor of CRR (Centre de Recherches Routières), and a particularly interesting case in point was the search for old mine shafts beneath the structure and embankments of a railway station parking lot.

Project duration and overall budget: 4 years – 146,600 EUR for ISSeP

Project status: 70%.

Partners: Funded by the NBN (Bureau de Normalisation) as part of an agreement on pre-normative research, the project brings together: Centre de recherches routières (CRR), Service public de Wallonie (SPW), Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer (AWV), Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Université de Gand (UGent).