Product Development and Demonstration of Sub-Surface Measurements Prototypes for Location and Inspection of Transportation Infrastructure

The Advanced Pavement Evaluation (APE) prototype system combines multiple sensors to detect, measure, and assess the condition of sub-surface features, including in-pavement traffic sensors, pavement structures, and defects or deterioration of such structures. In phase II, the research and development efforts produced two distinct prototypes solutions: a step-frequency ground penetrating radar (SF-GPR) platform And a complementary loop probe. The feasibility of using step-frequency ground penetrating radar (SF-GPR) to map the geometry of traffic sensors embedded into the pavement was demonstrated in phase II. The same technology was deployed to measure the sub-structure of pavements. Multiple algorithms were tested and evaluated during the past two years. The proposed phase II B project will build on the improvements made in a new generation of SF-GPR hardware and the robust and accurate analysis methods developed during the past three years to produce the technical specifications of a final product ready for demonstrations in multiple applications. In order to maximize the efficiency of these non-destructive inspection solutions and products during deployment, a video-logging system and improved 3-d and 4-d visualization software modules are proposed. Multiple field demonstration projects will be performed during this phase-IIB project in support of the marketing of this technology for the rail, highway, and traffic detector application. The prototype passive loop probe developed during the phase II project will be developed into a cost-effective weather-proof product. A active loop probe is proposed to detect non-functioning in-pavement traffic inductive loops. This new probe will complement the existing active loop by providing the ability to determine the source of the failure of non-functioning traffic detectors.