Concrete Scanning & Imaging | Find Rebar, Cables, & Conduits in Slab, Wall, & Floor
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Concrete Scanning & Infrastructure Assessment

Locate conduits, post-tension cables, and rebar/reinforcing wire mesh, detect current carrying cables

  • Conquest 100 GPR for concrete scan
video-iconConquest 100 GPR for concrete scan

Hitting something when cutting and coring can be dangerous and costly. Scan before you cut, drill or bore!

“Cutting or polishing with diamond tools and imaging with GPR is faster than a comparable survey, renovation or demolition methods” – CSDA Resource Guide 2018-2019

GPR is an accepted and routinely used non-destructive method for imaging objects in concrete prior to cutting or coring.

Damage Prevention & Safety

It is beneficial to add GPR into your business to prevent damage prior to cutting and coring because:

  • Cutting through structural components can reduce the structure’s integrity
  • Cutting an embedded conduit, gas pipe or post-tension cable can cost lives
  • Not doing so opens up your firm and your customers to damage claims and potential safety hazards
concrete floor slab scanning

GPR can help with:

  • Pinpointing structural elements in concrete such as
    • Rebar
    • Post-tension cables
    • Metallic and non-metallic pipes and conduits
    • Wire mesh
  • Locating conduits (plastic & metallic) and in-floor heating lines in concrete, or just below a slab-on-grade
  • Measure the cover depth of embedments
  • Map rebar and rebar patterns
  • Measure slab thickness
  • Detecting voids and cavities beneath slab-on-grade

 

Organizations like the Concrete Sawing & Drilling Association (CSDA) have recognized the importance of imaging concrete with GPR and have included it as part of their best practices to avoid hits, damage, delays and ensure operator safety during cutting and coring operations; issues crucial to grow your business.


 

Scan, Locate & Mark Targets In Real-Time

Use GPR to easily locate reinforcement, conduits and any other objects embedded in concrete and mark their location on the ground in real-time while on-site

Site reconnaissance scans

Simply push the system across an area, and buried targets will appear as hyperbolas under the concrete surface. To pinpoint the location of the target, pull the system backwards to the top of the target indicated on the screen.
GPR lines
Perform quick GPR lines to identify areas of interest and get a overall picture of the site

GPR is fast and effective allowing users to get site conditions by performing reconnaissance scans to decide where and if a fuller scan is required. Simply push the system back and forth over an area, and buried targets will appear as hyperbolas under the concrete surface.
concrete floor scanning cross section
Quickly scan and mark targets by viewing a cross-section of GPR data collected over a concrete floor

Depth to Targets

Display the position and depth of targets on your GPR cross section
scan concrete before concrete cutting and coring
Pop up position indicator on a GPR cross-section that shows the position and depth of a rebar

Rebar and reinforcements

Perform both line and grid scans to generate 2D and 3D images of your site for safe drilling and cutting where rebar is present
cross section scan rebar in concrete
Get a cross section data of rebar in real time using Line Scan
concrete wall slab grid scan
Grid scan allows for on-site 3D images to better visualize rebar for safe drilling and coring

Post-tension (PT) cables

GPR allows for safe renovation to take place by showing the location of post-tension (PT) cables to avoid cutting them and risking worker safety and the integrity of the structure, GPR also provides information about the as-built structure and the location and quantity of the PT cables to aid in planning for future work.

Case Study

post tension cable in concrete
A depth slice image showing the typical pattern of a group from Post Tension cables bundled together
post tension cable in concrete
GPR cross section collected along a traverse directly over a PT cable in a concrete deck structure showing the PT cable drooping between support columns.

Conduits

GPR enables contractors to plot depth slice and PCD images to locate all embedded objects including the conduits, and safely core without cutting anything .
conduits in wall
Non metallic conduits being observed through rebar on a 2nd floor concrete slab in a hotel undergoing renovation using GPR and PCD sensors.

Wire Mesh

Locate wire mesh in concrete to know where to core
scanning wire mesh in concrete slab
Depth slice image of a wire mesh at 8” depth in concrete. The drill locator shows exactly where to safely drill holes and minimize the risk of hitting concealed objects

Power Cables with Power Cable Detector (PCD)

The PCD sensor in the GPR system allows current-carrying wires embedded in or beneath concrete to be distinguished from other structures, allowing operators to know the risks at the site

Case Study

power cable in floor and wall
Views of a GPR depth slice image (left) and a PCD image (right) to detect active AC

Reco Wall

Use GPR to avoid hitting the reinforcing strips that extend behind pre-cast concrete panels when drilling
concrete scanning with ground penetrating radar GPR
Depth slice image of a reco wall showing the reinforcement inside the pre-cast panels as well as the reinforcing strips connected to the panels

Bottom of Concrete

GPR can provide an estimate of the thickness of the concrete slab by imaging the bottom of the concrete; this is very useful when access to only one side of the a concrete slab is possible.
GPR cross-section of rebar in concrete
GPR cross-section image showing the top of the rebar cover as well as the bottom of a concrete slab

Radiant Heating Tubes

To minimize the risk of hitting an embedded heating tube and causing costly project delays, GPR can be used to scan and mark the locations of tubes, allowing drill locations to be quickly and safely determined before cutting begins.

Case Study

scan concrete before concrete cutting and coring
Depth slice image (left) showing wire mesh and in-floor heating tubes (right)

Utilities under Concrete

See beyond reinforced concrete to get high resolution data of other features of interest such as utilities

Case Study

utilities under concrete
GPR cross-section data showing drainage and outflow pipes that are visible below a double layer of rebar

Long lines

Line Scan GPR surveys of a large area can be used to provide preliminary information of a concrete floor to determine the feasibility of any renovations, and to understand the uniformity of the structure before work begins.
gpr line concrete scanning
Long line scan surveys provide a real-time assessment of targets embedded in concrete to get a better understanding of the site.

Large grids

When surveys over large areas are required, GPR can be easily deployed. Single systems can be used to collect large grids, or many smaller grids can be collected and easily merged together in software. In addition, if speed of collection is critical, multiple GPR units can be combined into multi-channel array platforms that can collect large swaths of data quickly, if speed of collection is critical.
Depth slice image of a large grid of 50 x 100 m collected on the floor of an empty underground water reservoir undergoing refurbishment showing various features of interest
Conquest GPR with Ekko Project software
Four 4×4 ft grids pieced together using EKKO_Project™ to track a conduit across the floor

 

Concrete Assessment

GPR can safely and non-destructively provide information about the internal structure of concrete, including the position, amount and cover depth of rebar, evidence of corrosion, locations of structural elements including post-tension cables and indications of potential voids. This is critical for confirming quality of newly built structures, assessing safety and condition of existing structures, and planning for future renovation projects.

Voids under concrete

GPR can be used to locate voids that sometimes form under concrete. Voids under concrete produce a strong reflection, due to the large contrast between the properties of concrete and the air or water filled void underneath.
voids under concrete
GPR line accross a slab-on-grade concrete floor reveals voids. The strong contrast between the concrete and air-filled void produces a strong reflection at the bottom of the slab
concrete slab depth
Depth slice at the bottom of the concrete slab shows the lateral extent of the voids in red. The ability to collect large grids with GPR combined with EKKO_Project™ software provides quick and easy visualization of large areas, especially useful for void detection.

Corrosion Inspection

GPR is used to find deterioration in concrete because GPR waves are attenuated and scattered by an area of concrete that is deteriorated
concrete corrosion scanning
GPR line on a bridge deck shows an area of weaker rebar reflections between 8 and 15 feet compared to the surrounding area, suggesting a potentially corroded area.

 

Visualize GPR data and Generate Added Value Reports

For post-survey data analysis and value-added reporting, GPR data can be saved for future reference and turned into comprehensive deliverables for your customers.

Value Added Reporting

EKKO_Project™ software organizes and displays data exported from all Sensors & Software GPR systems to extract valuable insights and produce superior deliverable for your clients.
gpr software report
GPR Summary report generated with EKKO_Project™ GPR analysis software

Visualize your Line Scan data in GPR post-processing software

GPR lines collected over large survey areas can be displayed in EKKO_Project™ to better identify areas of interest below a concrete floor.
rebar in concrete
A long 2D GPR line being collected to identify areas of interest below a concrete floor. The area highlight outlines possible areas where voids might be present.
Add Interpretations in Line Scan Data to augment your GPR reports

Add color-coded interpretations and annotations on your GPR cross-section.
conquest gpr concrete data
Dipping rebars highlighted by red dots and annotated for future reference.

Visualize your survey site

Overlay detailed scans of your GPR survey on floor plans, site photos or engineering drawings to illustrate key findings of your survey.
GPR and PCD image data superimposed on a building floor plan using EKKO_Project™. The GPR data (left) shows the distribution of the reinforcing in the slab-on-grade. The PCD response (right) shows the classic lozenge-shaped response of twisted parallel wires.

3D Visualization

Collecting grid scan data allows for the results to be exported to volume rendering software to better visualize your data and add value to your reports
rebar in concrete
3D volume image of grid scans show a rebar (left) and wire mesh (right)
3D grid of rebar in concrete
PT cables under rebar

Sensors & Software GPR Systems

 

Advantages
  • Easy to use, flexible operation
  • Ground-coupled GPR to provide the best quality, deepest penetration and highest resolution data possible
  • Intuitive and powerful processing software to efficiently analyse and report results
  • Georeferenced data collection for integration into GIS systems
  • Industry recognized GPR expertise and support to help you maximize your GPR returns

We offer a selection of systems for concrete scanning, so you can choose the one that is best for your project needs.

concrete scanner
The Conquest® 100 GPR is a light, portable device that provides a fast, non-invasive method to gain accurate insights of objects below the concrete surface, even on a curved surface or column.

underground utilities construction
The Noggin® offers the ultimate in flexibility. Choose between four different center frequencies and four different configurations to suit your application. Noggin systems also offer custom data acquisition options for non-traditional locating projects.
concrete GPR software
EKKO_Project™ is the all-inclusive software solution for managing, displaying, processing and interpreting GPR data.

To determine the best product for your application please contact us

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