As an industry leader in concrete cutting, QC Concrete Cutting knows the importance of seeing objects embedded in a concrete surface before making that first cut. In the past, radiography or x-ray devices were used to analyze the subsurface of a floor or wall. In order to x-ray a surface, work would have to be stopped. Because of safety hazards, all electronic equipment and personnel in the area under investigation and surrounding areas would have to be evacuated. And only specially trained technicians could handle the equipment. It was a time consuming and expensive process that would frequently delay projects and cause budgeting issues.
Through utilizing Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology, QC Concrete can perform quicker and safer inspections of concrete structures without interruption of operations at a fraction of the cost of radiography. GPR also offers no safety hazards associated with its use, so construction can continue through the entire imaging process.
Ground Penetrating Radar has been used in mineralogical and archaeological explorations since the early 1970’s. GPR now sees wide spread use for non-invasive examination of man-made structures as well as for locating and mapping underground utilities and other construction obstacles. Using high frequency antennas and computer driven signal analysis, QC Concrete Cutting can not only accurately image and locate components embedded in concrete such as conduits, bars, and cables but also detect voids or zones of construction degradation under many man-made structures such as buildings, roads, and bridges. GPR is also ideal for accurately locating buried storage tanks and utility services in soils, concrete, or asphalt.
Non-Destructive Concrete Inspection System
QC Concrete Cutting’s state-of-the-art concrete inspection GPR data acquisition system allows us to image an area in real time requiring only one side access and without evacuation. By using a full array of antennas, our GPR system can penetrate a depth range of 18 inches or more in concrete without damaging the surface. Data collected is processed quickly and easily. The results produce an 3-D image for a more intuitive approach to data analysis and interpretation. Multiple viewing options allow the user to move around in the data, many times revealing features not visible in traditional vertical data profiles.
Advantages of Concrete Inspection Using GPR
- Portable size of equipment allows unlimited use potential
- Requires only one side access without evacuation
- Ideal for surveys of highways, bridges, and other multi-channel applications
- Inspect floors, walls, decks, slabs, tunnels, balconies, and garages
- Locate re-bar, tension cables, conduits, voids, PVC pipes
- Measure slab thickness
- Can penetrate depths of 18″ or more
- Multi-channel data collection
- 3-D imaging
- Multiple viewing options may reveal objects not visible in traditional vertical data profiles
- Integrated data collection and post-processing for instant results
- GPS compatible
