GPR Spectra for Monitoring Asphalt Pavements

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a prospecting method frequently used in monitoring asphalt pavements, especially as an optimal complement to the defection test that is commonly used for determining the structural condition of the pavements. Its application is supported by studies that demonstrate the existence of a relationship between the parameters determined in GPR data (usually travel time and wave amplitude) and the preservation conditions of the structure. However, the analysis of frequencies is rarely applied in pavement assessment. Nevertheless, spectral analysis is widespread in other fields such as medicine or dynamic analysis, being one the most common analytical methods in wave processing through use of the Fourier transform. Nevertheless, spectral analysis has not been thoroughly applied and evaluated in GPR surveys, specifically in the field of pavement structures. This work is focused on analyzing the behavior of the GPR data spectra as a consequence of different problems affecting the pavement. The study focuses on the determination of areas with failures in bituminous pavement structures. Results epitomize the sensitivity of frequencies to the materials and, in some cases, to the damage.