Site managers strive to complete projects without injuries to their workers. Using a ground-penetrating radar survey is safe for workers and civilians. There’s no need for personal protective equipment to operate the GPR device as it is non-destructive. Furthermore, revealing the data of what’s under the surface prevents accidents with severe consequences.
As such, you must make smart decisions that benefit the project while not compromising on the quality of work. Hiring a company to conduct a GPR scan is more affordable than the alternative which is using X-rays to identify the components underground. The worst-case scenario is attempting to penetrate the concrete without any data and meeting an obstacle that is essential or hazardous. As a result, the costs of repairs could soar.
There’s no need to wait for data from an off-site lab as you receive results almost instantaneously. A company that provides GPR scanners deploys their equipment in the surface area you need to cover and supplies you with a comprehensive report. As a result, your construction process can commence without fear of striking any critical objects below.
In 1929, W. Stern used GPR to measure the depth of a glacier. After more developments, the military developed it for commercial use, and they sold the first-ever GPR device in 1975. The Apollo 17 mission from NASA used a GPR device called the Apollo Lunar Sounder Experiment to record depth of up to 1.3km while orbiting the moon. Due to the lack of technology, they recorded the data on film.
The ground-penetrating radar sends electromagnetic pulses below the surface and records any echoes that bounce off objects in the subsurface. When the impulse hits an object, it reflects and refracts the signal to the receiver. The purpose of the receiver is to detect those signals while specific GPR software translates the signals into images to provide a map of the components underground.
Using this equipment allows you to identify metal, plastic, PVC, natural materials, and concrete. As such, it has various uses to detect elements such as critical telecommunication cables or water pipes, amongst others, geological obstructions, air pockets, bedrock, and changes in ground strata. Furthermore, there are multiple materials that it can penetrate such as soil, concrete, ice, freshwater and rock.