An Evaluation of ASTM Standards for Implementation of Ground Penetrating Radar for Pavement and Bridge Deck Evaluations

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a common nondestructive evaluation technique that operates with electromagnetic energy (EM) to detect objects and anomalies in a material's subsurface. GPR is an effective method for civil engineering applications for the assessment of structures and roadways specifically for pavement and bridge deck condition assessment. While surveying with GPR is straightforward, requirements differ depending on the testing objective, and interpretation of the results can pose some challenges. Fortunately, the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) provides a standard set of suggestions for the utilization of GPR, which include general information and recommendations for operating GPR systems and analyzing the output for different purposes. However, reaching a full comprehensive understanding of each standard may require some additional knowledge. This paper focuses on three separate ASTM standards that are related to GPR implementations. These standards include the following: ASTM D6432-19, Standard Guide for Using the Surface Ground Penetrating Radar Method for Subsurface Investigation; ASTM D4748-10(2020), Standard Test Method for Determining the Thickness of Bound Pavement Layers Using Short-Pulse Radar; and ASTM D6087-22, Standard Test Method for Evaluating Asphalt-Covered Concrete Bridge Decks Using Ground Penetrating Radar. After a review and assessment of these three standards, an analysis is presented to discuss the applications, contemplations, and limitations of the standards.