Introduction to ground penetrating radar

This chapter has briefly discussed the use of GPR as an NDT and an NDE tool. In contrast to other NDT methods, GPR is based on EM wave propagation, which provides advantages and limitations. Among the advantages, one can cite relatively low-cost of survey, compact size of equipment, excellent trade-off between resolution and depth of detection, and suitability to an overwhelming variety of applications. However, the analysis of data is not straightforward not only because of the complexity of the physical phenomena involved in propagation and scattering of EM waves but also because of the impact of environmental conditions on the EM description of the media and consequently on the data acquired. To reduce this burden, the GPR equipment allows for multiple configurations that have to be carefully explored and selected in the planning stage of surveys. Even with the right choices of these configurations, the ability to predict and detect targets requires considerable expertise as well as a set of specialized post-processing tools. Far from being a closed line of research, the possibilities to improve detection are still open, and more exciting contributions are expected in the future to create more powerful NDT tools.