Using ground-penetrating radar for assessing the structural needs of asphalt pavements

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a nondestructive testing (NDT) approach for pavement investigation that has been developed and improved upon over the past 30 years. This paper aimed to document how the GPR technique could be incorporated successfully into the process of assessing the structural needs of asphalt pavements. Background information is provided regarding the usage of GPR for the evaluation of asphalt road pavements. After outlining the GPR usage, a framework is developed, which is associated primarily with the efficient use of GPR for pavement inspection along a highway and secondarily with the supply of computational tools for GPR data to execute the complex processes to define the structural needs of the pavement. The effectiveness of the suggested framework for pavement preservation is demonstrated through a case study to estimate the required overlay thickness along a highway, which is part of a public private partnership project. The related results produce evidence in support of the statement that through GPR implementation, the intervention works can be optimised to benefit both the road users and the road operators.