Ground Penetrating Radar can also be utilized to inspect concrete up to 18" thick for pipes, rebar, and conduit. Please click HERE to learn more, or contact an Enviroprobe representative at (800) 596-7472 for project specific questions.
The GPR unit can detect the approximate size and depth of metalic and non-metallic objects in most circumstances
The GPR method can be used for very rapid, high resolution mapping of the shallow subsurface to:
Locate metallic and nonmetallic pipes and utility cables
Characterize archaeological sites
Delineate underground storage tanks (metallic and nonmetallic)
Map rebar in concrete structure
Map landfill boundaries
Delineate pits and trenches containing metallic and nonmetallic debris
Delineate leach fields and industrial cribs
Delineate previously excavated and backfilled areas
Map shallow groundwater tables
Map shallow soil stratigraphy
Map shallow bedrock topography
Map subsurface voids and cavities
The above picture shows, from left to right, a monitoring well, a product pipe and an Underground Storage Tank (UST).
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a high-frequency electromagnetic method that can be applied to a number of engineering and environmental problems. A GPR system radiates short pulses of high-frequency EM energy into the ground from a transmitting antenna. This EM wave propagates into the ground at a velocity that is related to the electrical properties of subsurface materials (specifically, the materials relative dielectric permittivity). When this wave encounters the interface of two materials having different dielectric properties (i.e., utility and surrounding soils), a portion of the energy is reflected back to the surface, where it is detected by a receiver antenna and transmitted to a control unit for processing and display.
Depth penetration is a function of antenna frequency and the electrical conductivity of the soils in the survey area. Lower frequency antennas achieve greater depth penetration than higher frequency antennas, but have poorer spatial resolution. Enviroprobe owns and operates Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) units equipped with 1000mhz, 500mhz, or 250mhz antennas.
The above image shows a UST. The image was collected with a 250 MHz antenna.
