Eeva Huuskonen-Snicker

Discrimination of Buried Objects in Impulse GPR Using Phase Retrieval Technique

This paper presents a modified signal processing technique of differentiating buried targets using impulse ground-penetrating radar. The technique is applicable to radargram; however, signal processing is carried out for each trace of the radargram separately. Every significant peak of each trace is compared with the peak of some calibration signal, for example, a signal that is reflected from the far interface of a thick rock slab. However, the calibration does not require the reference material be embedded in the medium, it can be in the air. The difference of phases between the object signal and the calibration signal is a function slowly varying with time that can be used for characterization of the buried object. The performance of the method is demonstrated in several examples using signals collected with the commercial impulse radar.

A New Microwave Asphalt Radar Rover for Thin Surface Civil Engineering Applications

Abstract This paper presents a beyond state-of-the-art, sweeping microwave asphalt radar mounted on a small radio controlled four-wheel-drive rover. The quasi-monostatic, remote-controllable radar operates at Ku-band and has an output power of +10 dBm. Detection follows the zero intermediate frequency principle. The sweep width allows for a depth resolution better than 10 mm. With its four microprocessors and laptop computer processing, the radar system can provide pavement permittivity data with an uncertainty close to 0.1. This is a considerable advancement when applying electromagnetic measurement techniques for applications where near surface or thin surface layer measurements are needed.

An Evaluation of the Permittivity of Two Different Rock Types Using Microwave Resonator and Waveguide Cutoff Principles

Abstract Methods of measuring the complex permittivity of different rock types are demonstrated in the frequency range from 6 GHz to 17 GHz. The used methods are based on the cylindrical resonator and waveguide cutoff frequency principles. This study is part of a larger research project that aims to characterize the electrical properties of asphalt for road surveying purposes. The studied rock types are metavolcanic rock with intermediate composition and pegmatite. The permittivity values gained with the resonator method are 6.2 for the metavolcanic rock and 4.5 for the pegmatite rock type, whereas the imaginary parts are 0.04 and 0.02. The permittivity values gained with the cutoff frequency method are 6.17 and 4.76 respectively. A reference measurement was made only for the metavolcanic rock in a transmission configuration with two antennas and the permittivity result was 6.21. The three different methods provide consistent permittivity values and are suitable for reliable permittivity evaluation.

A new microwave asphalt radar

This article presents a new K-band asphalt radar for evaluating road pavement surface layer density during construction. The frequency range of operation is 13-17 GHz. A high frequency band is needed since the new asphalt overlays are very thin. Therefore, better resolution of the radar system is required. In this paper, the new radar system is described in detail. The first laboratory analyses of the asphalt sample are presented using the new radar. This serves the purpose of evaluating and testing the performance of the new radar measurement setup. The radar will be used later for mobile road surveying.

Incorporating the transverse profile of the wearing course into the control of the hot in-place recycling of asphalt concrete

The hot in-place recycling (HIR) of asphalt concrete (AC) is one of the least CO2 emissive reuse techniques. It allows for 100% reuse of material in-situ in the same application, at a reduced need for the material transport to and back from the construction site, as well as the reduced price in comparison with the fresh wearing course overlay. Finland uses the technique predominantly to fill wheel path ruts caused by the studded tire abrasion, to retain structural capacity and prevent hydroplaning. During the HIR process, the aged AC material is heated up in-situ, milled to the approximate depth of 40 mm, blended with fresh AC admixture and rejuvenator. However, the amount of the aged material and the amount of the aged bitumen that undergoes rejuvenation depends on the pavement transverse profile. The rut depth, width and shape determine the minimum volume of admixture necessary for refill during the process in order to retain the structural capacity, as well as the amount of the aged binder requiring rejuvenation. In favor of achieving homogenous rheological properties in the final product, the proportion between the aged binder and the fresh binder should be controlled, as it influences the required amount of rejuvenator. Therefore, the rut cross-sectional area and furthermore, the rut volume is one of the previously unrecognized or ignored major variables of the hot in-place recycling process in Finland that should be incorporated to the HIR process control. This article demonstrates the methodology of incorporating the transverse road profile measurements by 17 vehicle-mounted laser sensors into the calculation of required rejuvenator amounts. This can be done during the procurement preparation phase or during the paving work as a continuous in-situ process control. In the rheological optimization the apparent Newtonian viscosity concept and the rotational viscosity are utilized in the viscosity based blending equation, which then allows the use of oily rejuvenators. The method reduces the need for aged pavement sampling compared with the determination of the calibration curve between rejuvenator concentration and the rheological response. Additionally, the apparent Newtonian viscosity corrects the complex viscosity by the phase angle derived correction factor, opening a previously unexplored opportunity of targeting desired viscoelastic characteristics. The approach is less sensitive to the frequencies and temperatures at which the shear measurements are conducted. This makes proposed calculative method of the desired proportioning of the aged binder, the fresh binder and the rejuvenator a promising tool for the industry. The combined algorithm presented allows for: the discrimination of sites where HIR type maintenance of pavement in question would result in a substandard product; the choice of the most promising material combination of the admixture and rejuvenator, as well as for the adjustment of the admixture and rejuvenator amount in-place.