HERMES: a high-speed radar imaging system for inspection of bridge decks

Stephen G. Azevedo; Jeffrey E. Mast; Scott D. Nelson; E. T. Rosenbury; Holger E. Jones; Thomas E. McEwan; D. J. Mullenhoff; R. E. Hugenberger; R. D. Stever; John P. Warhus; Mel G. Wieting

doi:10.1117/12.259137

13 November 1996 HERMES: a high-speed radar imaging system for inspection of bridge decks

Stephen G. Azevedo, Jeffrey E. Mast, Scott D. Nelson, E. T. Rosenbury, Holger E. Jones, Thomas E. McEwan, D. J. Mullenhoff, R. E. Hugenberger, R. D. Stever, John P. Warhus, Mel G. Wieting

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 2946, Nondestructive Evaluation of Bridges and Highways; (1996) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.259137
Event: Nondestructive Evaluation Techniques for Aging Infrastructure and Manufacturing, 1996, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Abstract

Corrosion of rebar in concrete bridges causes subsurface cracks and is a major cause of structural degradation that necessitates repair or replacement. Early detection of corrosion effects can limit the location and extent of necessary repairs, while providing long-term information about the infrastructure status. Most current detection methods, however, are destructive of the road surface and require closing or restricting traffic while the tests are performed. A ground-penetrating radar imaging system has been designed and developed that will perform the nondestructive evaluation of road-bed cracking at traffic speeds, i.e., without the need to restrict traffic flow. The first-generation system consists of an offset-linear array of 64 impulse radar transceivers and associated electronics housed in a trailer. Computers in the trailer and in the towing vehicle control the data acquisition, processing, and display. Cross-road resolution is three centimeters at up to 30 cm in depth, while down-road resolution depends on speed; 3 cm below 20 mph up to 8 cm at 50 mph. A two-meter-wide path is inspected on each pass over the roadway. In this paper, we describe the design of this system, show preliminary results, and lay out its deployment schedule.

Citation Download Citation

Stephen G. Azevedo, Jeffrey E. Mast, Scott D. Nelson, E. T. Rosenbury, Holger E. Jones, Thomas E. McEwan, D. J. Mullenhoff, R. E. Hugenberger, R. D. Stever, John P. Warhus, and Mel G. Wieting "HERMES: a high-speed radar imaging system for inspection of bridge decks", Proc. SPIE 2946, Nondestructive Evaluation of Bridges and Highways, (13 November 1996); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.259137

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available