Characteristic Analysis of Detection Profiles for Internal Moisture Content of Asphalt Pavements Based on Ground Penetrating Radar

Authors

• YANG Li, School of Transportation , Changsha University of Science & Technology , Changsha , Hunan 410114 , ChinaFollow
• HE Pingping, School of Transportation , Changsha University of Science & Technology , Changsha , Hunan 410114 , ChinaFollow
• LIU Weizhen, School of Transportation , Changsha University of Science & Technology , Changsha , Hunan 410114 , China
• FU An, School of Transportation , Changsha University of Science & Technology , Changsha , Hunan 410114 , China

Corresponding Author

何平平，女，博士，讲师.E-mail：pingping.he@csust.edu.cn

Abstract

As a novel non-destructive testing method for roads, ground penetrating radar (GPR) can effectively prevent road water damage by regularly detecting the internal moisture condition of roads. However, when the moisture data of GPR are analyzed, the moisture conditions obtained by relying solely on the analysis of a single profile characteristic may be misjudged. To improve the accuracy and reliability of GPR in detecting the internal moisture content of pavements, focus was placed on the time-frequency domain analysis of GPR moisture content detection profiles in this paper. Simulation tests were conducted, and the influencing factors and results of moisture detection in the pavement surface layer were deeply investigated. Furthermore, the performance patterns of radar detection profiles under different levels of volumetric moisture content of the surface layer were emphatically analyzed. The results indicate that the change in antenna height has a significant impact on the ground reflected wave, while the change in surface layer thickness mainly affects the arrival time and energy intensity of the echo signal at the surface layer-base interface. In addition, as the moisture content of the surface layer increases, the amplitude of the ground reflected wave increases significantly; the arrival time of the reflected wave at the lower interface of the moisture layer is prolonged, and the frequency of the reflected wave within the layer shows a decreasing trend. The research results provide a theoretical basis for detecting the internal moisture content of roads using GPR.

Publication Date

6-27-2026

DOI

10.14048/j.issn.1671-2579.2026.03.010

First Page

82

Last Page

88

Submission Date

June 2026

Recommended Citation

Li, YANG; Pingping, HE; Weizhen, LIU; and An, FU (2026) "Characteristic Analysis of Detection Profiles for Internal Moisture Content of Asphalt Pavements Based on Ground Penetrating Radar," Journal of China & Foreign Highway: Vol. 46: Iss. 3, Article 10.
DOI: 10.14048/j.issn.1671-2579.2026.03.010
Available at: https://zwgl1980.csust.edu.cn/journal/vol46/iss3/10

Reference

[1]王伟,郑睿.基于探地雷达的道路半刚性基层含水率检测[J].武汉大学学报 (工学版 ),2022,55(12):1248 -1255.WANG Wei,ZHENG Rui.Water content detection of road semi-rigid base based on ground penetrating radar [J].Engineering Journal of Wuhan University,2022,55(12):1248 -1255.
[2]刘宪明,夏晗,胡冬平,等.公路路面损坏与内部隐伏病害的关联性研究 [J].中外公路,2024,44(5):75-82.LIU Xianming,XIA Han,HU Dongping,et al.Correlation between pavement distress and structural hidden distress[J].Journal of China & Foreign Highway,2024,44(5):75-82.
[3]肖洪智.高速公路路基路面排水存在的问题及快速养护方案 [J].交通世界,2020 (16):30-31.XIAO Hongzhi.Problems existing in drainage of expressway subgrade and pavement and quick maintenance scheme [J].TranspoWorld,2020 (16):30-31.
[4]徐希忠,韦金城,闫翔鹏,等.长寿命沥青路面研究现状及展望 [J].中外公路,2023,43(1):36-43.XU Xizhong,WEI Jincheng,YAN Xiangpeng,et al.Review and outlook for long-life asphalt pavement [J].Journal of China & Foreign Highway,2023,43(1):36-43.
[5]XIONG X T,XIAO S Q,TAN Y Q,et al.Estimation of density and moisture content in asphalt mixture based on dielectric property [J].Construction and Building Materials,2021,298:123518.
[6]CHANZY A,TARUSSOV A,BONN F,et al.Soil water content determination using a digital ground-penetrating radar [J].Soil Science Society of America Journal,1996,60(5):1318 -1326.
[7]ZHANG J,ZHANG C,LU Y M,et al.In-situ recognition of moisture damage in bridge deck asphalt pavement with time-frequency features of GPR signal [J].Construction and Building Materials,2020,244:118295.
[8]CAO Q Q,AL-QADI I L.Effect of moisture content on calculated dielectric properties of asphalt concrete pavements from ground-penetrating radar measurements[J].Remote Sensing,2022,14(1):34.
[9]CAO Q Q,ABUFARES L,AL-QADI I L.Development of a simulation-based approach for cold in-place recycled pavement moisture-content prediction using ground-penetrating radar [J].Transportation Research Record:Journal of the Transportation Research Board,2022,2676(10):682-694.
[10]江桂升.基于空气耦合式探地雷达的沥青路面水损害识别方法研究 [D].西安:长安大学,2021.JIANG Guisheng.Research on moisture damage identification method of asphalt pavement based on air-coupled ground penetrating radar [D].Xi’an:Chang’an University,2021.
[11]王大为,吕浩天,汤伏蛟,等.三维探地雷达道路隐性病害检测分析与数字化技术综述 [J].中国公路学报,2023,36(3):1-19.WANG Dawei,LYU Haotian,TANG Fujiao,et al.Road structural defects detection and digitalization based on 3D ground penetrating radar technology:A state-of-the-art review [J].China Journal of Highway and Transport,2023,36(3):1-19.
[12]黄乐艺.城市地下供水管线渗漏探地雷达正演模拟与解释方法应用研究 [D].北京:北京交通大学,2016.HUANG Leyi.Application on the GPR forward simulation and interpretation methods for the leakage of underground water supply pipelines in the urban area [D].Beijing:Beijing Jiaotong University,2016.
[13]凌同华,刘芳,何文超,等.含水空洞的探地雷达正演模拟与试验研究 [J].交通科学与工程,2022,38(3):40-47.LING Tonghua,LIU Fang,HE Wenchao,et al.Forward simulation and experimental study of GPR for water-bearing cavity [J].Journal of Transport Science and Engineering,2022,38(3):40-47.
[14]COLEMAN Z W,SCHINDLER A K.Investigation of ground-penetrating radar defect detection capabilities,influence of moisture content,and optimal data collection orientation in condition assessments of concrete bridge decks [J].Journal of Applied Geophysics,2022,202:104655.
[15]KLEWE T,STRANGFELD C,KRUSCHWITZ S.Review of moisture measurements in civil engineering with ground penetrating radar-Applied methods and signal features [J].Construction and Building Materials,2021,278:122250.
[16]LIU X B,CHEN J,CUI X H,et al.Measurement of soil water content using ground-penetrating radar:A review of current methods [J].International Journal of Digital Earth,2019,12(1):95-118.
[17]BENEDETTO F,TOSTI F,ALANI A M.An entropy-based analysis of GPR data for the assessment of railway ballast conditions [J].IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing,2017,55(7):3900 -3908.
[18]曾昭发,刘四新,冯晅,等.探地雷达原理与应用 [M].2版.北京:电子工业出版社,2023.ZENG Zhaofa,LIU Sixin,FENG Xuan.Principles and applications of ground penetrating radar [M].2nd ed.Beijing:Publishing House of Electronics Industry,2023.
[19]LYU G,YANG J,LI N,et al.Dielectric characteristics of unsaturated loess and the safety detection of the road subgrade based on GPR [J].Journal of Sensors,2018,2018(1):5185460.
[20]曾良生.探地雷达正演数值模拟和天线仿真设计 [D].长春:吉林建筑大学,2023.ZENG Liangsheng.Numerical simulation of ground penetrating radar forward and antenna simulation design[D].Changchun:Jilin Jianzhu University,2023.
[21]GIANNAKIS I,GIANNOPOULOS A,WARREN C.A realistic FDTD numerical modeling framework of ground penetrating radar for landmine detection [J].IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing,2016,9(1):37-51.
[22]邹宝刚.雷达法检测沥青路面厚度影响因素分析 [J].天津建设科技,2018,28(4):36-38.ZOU Baogang.Influence factors analysis of asphalt pavement thickness detected by radar method [J].Tianjin Construction Science and Technology,2018,28(4):36-38.
[23]林博煌,石立万,廖伟杰,等.基于图像处理的粗集料细观分布均匀性研究 [J].中外公路,2023,43(5):214-218.LIN Bohuang,SHI Liwan,LIAO Weijie,et al.Study on meso-distribution uniformity of coarse aggregate based on image processing [J].Journal of China & Foreign Highway,2023,43(5):214-218.