GPR Limits for Thin Layers in Concrete Detection: Numerical and Experimental Evaluation

The Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a nondestructive technique increasingly
used in civil structures inspection. In those structures, thin layers, presenting a relatively small thickness compared to their area, are common and induce a complex multiple reflection scheme of the GPR waves on the two interfaces limiting the layer. The theoretical relationships predicting the reflected amplitude are based on multiple simplifying assumptions that are not matched by most commercial GPR impulse machines. In the first part of this study, we confronted the theoretical curves with numerical finite difference simulations performed with GprMax2D, with both a continuous sine wave and a realistic pulse derived from measurements. In the second part, we performed experiments on two concrete slabs, separated with an air space of variable thickness. The measured amplitude appeared to be different from the predictions, probably due to surface noise.