Density Mapping of New Pavement in Washington Using GPR
Infrasense recently completed an asphalt pavement density investigation for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). The purpose of this pavement investigation was to provide asphalt density measurements and mapping across two driving lanes of a 3000-foot section of newly paved road. The investigation was performed using Infrasense’s vehicle-mounted GPR system so that density data could be collected quickly and efficiently, without interfering with normal construction procedures. The results of the GPR testing were used to locate density variations within the newly constructed pavement, and to assess the overall consistency and performance of the Intelligent Compaction paving system.
Achieving the target density for a pavement is particularly important for long-term pavement performance. Pavement density is a measure of Quality Control and Quality Assurance (QC/QA) of new pavement construction projects. Traditionally, density has been measured using cores or nuclear density gauges. However, these methods provide data at only a limited number of random locations, and working with nuclear gauges can require special licensing. The GPR-based system developed by Infrasense provides 100% coverage of the entire pavement on-site, revealing potential patterns of low density, such as along joints and at stopping points.
