ABSTRACT
Step-Frequency Ground Penetrating Radar (SF-GPR) for condition assessment of transportation facilities has received significant attention by highway agencies since it can provide accurate and reliable assessment. Five primary data elements are generated through the analysis and included in the structural report: pavement surface elevations, pavement concrete surface condition, concrete cover, deck thickness, and top-steel condition. The interpretation of individual GPR reports from the various bridge decks of interest can be eventually used for ranking and planning purposes at the “network level.” A condition index is proposed to capture the patterns of distribution of each data element with a fuzzy classifier based on rating thresholds with relative weights assigned to each data element for its relevance towards estimating the overall condition of the bridge deck. It is expected that such an approach will significantly facilitate and accelerate the condition assessment review and ranking of bridge decks for the entire “network” system.
