Ability of the direct wave of radar ground-coupled antenna for NDT of concrete structures

The research work presented in this paper aims at evaluating the potential of the direct wave of radar ground-coupled antennas for the on site physical characterization of concrete. According to studies highlighting the ability of radar reflected waves to characterize concrete, the potential of the direct wave is studied by systematic comparison of direct and reflected wave attenuations. Among the various features of electromagnetic waves propagating through concrete, attenuation is the most sensitive to moisture and chloride contents. In order to study the sensitivity of the direct wave to the physical condition of the concrete, laboratory experiments were conducted on concrete slabs with various porosities, water contents and chloride contamination levels.The results of this study show very satisfactory correlations between attenuations of direct and reflected waves, indicating that both waves provide similar information regarding the physical state of concrete. This correlation was confirmed on two bridges by comparison of direct wave attenuation maps with reflection attenuation maps. Therefore, radar interpretation method based on the direct wave attenuation should be able to detect, in a very fast way, physical contrasts in concrete structures and, consequently, identify probable pathological areas.