Vol. 12 Suppl. 1 J. CENT. SOUTH UNIV. TECHNOL. Oct.

2005

Article ID: 1005 - 9784(2005)$1 - 0120 - 05

Nondestructive testing for crack of tunnel lining using GPR ®

LIU D u n - w e n ( ~ J ~ 3 ~ ) , DENG Yu(g[~ ~ ) ,
Y A N G F e i ( / ~ - ~ ) , XU G u o - y u a n ( ~ , l N ~ )
(School of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University,
Changsha 410083, China)

Abstract: Lining craze, as a common engineering damage, affects the bearing capacity and the safety of tunnels.
To improve the capabilities of the surface crack detection in the tunnel lining, ground penetrating r a d a r ( G P R ) was
employed. T h e principle and method of G P R for cracks investigation of tunnel lining were expounded. As an appli-
cation example, some field measurements in order to detect the depth of cracks {or the tunnel lining were achieved in
a new tunnel. All GPR investigations were made with the antennae of 1 GHz. T h e cracks of concrete structure were
located, and the distributing and depth of cracks are inspected and estimated by GPR. The results of investigation
show GPR is accurate and efficient to detect cracks of tunnel lining.
Key words: tunnel lining; nondestructive testing(NDT); cracks; ground penetrating radar
CLC number: U457 Document code: A

1 INTRODUCTION plants En3 , testing the concrete dams [lz3 , evaluating

In recent years, economic development around
the world, particularly in China, has created a de-
mand in underground space utilization. More and
more tunnels and metros were built in the coun-
tries and the cities. Lining craze, as a common en-
gineering damage, results from the unbefitting de-
sign and construction or the poor quality material.
But the strength of concrete structures degrades
drastically if a crack exists in tunnel lining. This
defect can cause catastrophic results unless their
presence is detected and their effects are assessed,
which makes the inspection of concrete structures a
crucial and challenging aspect in the area of quality
control and error prevention [1~. T o evaluate a con-
crete structure, techniques as Transient Elastic
Waves method Ez~, Refection Seismology E33, Ultra-
sonic Pulse Velocity or Echo E41, Impact Echo Es~,
Surface Wave E~3, Ultrasonic T o m o g r a p h y E73 and
Acoustic Microscopy Es? allow to detect the cracks.
Ground penetrating radar ( G P R ) method has
shown great potential for the purpose of imaging
subsurface features and detecting the defects of
concrete structure. It is often proposed because it
is nondestructive, high-resolution and results are
quasi-continuous. GPR has been successfully ap-
plied to many kinds of concrete structures. For ex-
ample, it is used for measuring concrete degrada-
tion cgj, inspecting bridge deck E~°~, evaluating con-
tainment building structures of nuclear power
road E13] , and so on.
This paper focuses on radar detections of
cracks in the tunnel lining using R A M A C GPR
system. The principles of the radar method and da-
ta acquisition are discussed by means of a case
study. In addition the investigation results of
cracks are presented, and some suggestions are
recommended for disposing the cracks.
2 METHOD AND EQUIPMENT
GPR is a non-invasive high-frequency broad-
spectrum electromagnetic geophysical technique for
subsurface exploration. It is mostly used for detec-
ting the cracks of the tunnel lining in profiling
method, whose measurements were carried out
through moving a couple of antenna with change-
less space on the surface of tunnel lining. T h e op-
erating principle of GPR is as follows: It is mostly
used in reflection mode. A high-frequency electro-
magnetic wave is emitted via an antenna into the
tunnel lining under investigation as a broad-band
pulse, and it is received by a receiving antenna af-
ter it has passed the interfaces, the reinforcing
steel bar or defect (e. g. cracks) in the lining and
come back to the surface. It denotes the time re-
quired by the signal to travel first to the reflector
and then back to the antenna again. It is therefore
referred to as two-way-travel t i m e ( T W T ) , which
is the time taken for the energy to propagate

O Foundation item.. Projects(50204012; 50490274) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China; project supported by the
Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China
Received date~ 2005 - 06 - 15 ; Accepted date: 2005 - 07 - 28
Correspondence:LIU Dun-wen, PhD; Tel: -I-86-731-8660409; E-mail.. liudunwen•163, corn
LIU Dun-wen, et ah Nondestructive testing for crack of tunnel lining using GPR
through the layer and back to the antenna. In the
spreading process of electromagnetic wave, its
path, electromagnetic field intensity and waveform
change with the electrical properties and geometric
shape of transmission medium. Then, the sur-
veyed medium structure and defects can be deduced
according to the traveling t i m e ( T W T ) , amplitude
and waveform of the receiving wave Ds' 163 The
crack depth in the tunnel lining can be determined ac-
cording to the velocity and the traveling time of the
electromagnetic wave. The principle of crack detection
for the tunnel lining using GPR is shown in Fig. 1.
Transmittir
antenna
Fig. 1 Radar principles
The velocity of the electromagnetic wave (v)
in the tunnel lining is
C
v= -- (1)
where C is the velocity of the light wave, s~ is the
relative dielectric constant. The relative dielectric
constant of concrete is a key parameter, and its
value is 6 - 16. But its actual value depends on the
type of concrete, the element of aggregate, water-
cement ratio, the condition of maintenance, the con-
crete moisture and the strength grade of concrete.
The crack depth ( H ) in the tunnel lining is
1 quencies ranging from approximately 25 MHz to
H = Tv. T (2)
where H is the crack depth in the tunnel lining, v
is the velocity of the electromagnetic wave in the
tunnel lining, T is the two-way-travel time(TWT)
when the electromagnetic wave reaches the tail end
of crack in the lining.
In order to obtain the accurate depths, the
electromagnetic wave velocities in the different ma-
terials under investigation have to be known. Usu-
ally, the velocity of the lining should be measured
on the spot when inspecting a tunnel lining. There
are several different ways to obtain these veloci-
Table 1 GPR measurement parameters
Center frequency Sampling Number
of antennae/GHz Samples frequency/MHz of stacks
1.0 480 19 000 - 58 000 64
• 121 •
ties. The two common ways are. 1) the velocity of
the electromagnetic wave is determined by a com-
parison between travel time and layer thickness
( v = 2 H / T ) ; 2) the velocity of the electromagnet-
ic wave is calculated by the common-mid-point
method ( v =4 ~ - - t ~ -=4 ~ )"
The RAMAC GPR system from MALA Inc
was used in the study (Fig. 2). It consists of trans-
mitting antenna, receiving antenna, control unit,
optical fiber, datawire, PC and batteries. Normal-
ly the data are recorded on hard disk of PC. It is
instantaneously displayed on a color LED screen
for quality control and inspection of the real time
processing results.
Fig. 2 RAMAC GPR system
Different antenna types emitting and recording
different ranges of frequencies are available. Using
high frequency antennae results in high-resolution
data, but reduces the depth of penetration. Low-
frequency antennae provide greater depth of pene-
tration at the expense of lower resolution. Most
GPR manufacturers offer antennae with center fre-
approximately 2. 5 GHz. For tunnel lining inspec-
tions, typically antennae with center frequencies a-
bove 1 GHz are used.
The case study presented below was recorded
with the 1 GHz antennae. The center frequency of
these antennae is approximately 1.0 GHz. The pa-
rameters of the investigation are listed in Table 1.
In most cases, data are stored without applica-
tion of on-site processing. Processing is performed
on a PC. The processings applied to the radar data
were the DC-adjustment, Time-gain filter, Auto-
matic Gain Control (AGC) and Finite Impulse
Signal Recording time Measurement
position//ls window/ns Trigging method step/mm
--0. 15 30 M A L A wheel 10
 • 122 • Journal CSUT Vo1.12 Suppl. 1 2005

Response(FIR) filter.
Interpretation is the final step in a radar inves-
tigation, relating reflections within radar data to
subsurface structures, which are obtained after the
data processing, by tracking its lineups according
to the waveform and intensive property of the train
of reflected wave. If cores are available, the veloci-
ties of the radar signal within the different materi-
als of the structure under investigation are deter-
mined by a comparison between travel times and
layer thickness to enable a calibrated conversion of
the original timescale to depth. Sometimes the ve-
locities are carried out from common-mid-point Fig. 3 Photo of type crack on surface
(CMP) analysis. The velocity is of 0. 113 m/ns in of tunnel lining
this tunnel lining.

3 GROUND PENETRATING RADAR INVESTI-

GATION OF FAILING TUNNEL LINING

3.1 Status of tunnel lining

A radar investigation for quality detection was
carried out in Yuyuan Tunnel, which is on Yuyuan
Highway in west of Hunan Province, China. The
total length of the tunnel was 2 714 m. Many
cracks appeared on the lining after the tunnel con-
struction had finished. The department in charge
asked us to have an investigation for making the
reason of cracking clear. The six segments of the Fig. 4 GPR image of profile for
tunnel had been chosen and inspected. There is one detecting crack on quarterly arch
crack on the right sidewall near the segment K1 +
593, the vault of the segment K 3 ÷ 8 8 - K 3 + 9 0 , profile.
the quarterly arch of the segment K3-k145 - K 3 + In Fig. 5, a processed dataset from one of the
147, the vault of the segment K 3 + 1 5 5 - K3-k158 profiles is presented together with the interpreted
and the vault of the segment K 3 q - 1 8 0 - K3q-185, result for the vault of the tunnel. The vertical axis
respectively. The aim of radar inspection is to de- denotes nanoseconds in the dataset and millimeters
tect the distributing and the depth of the crack. for the result. A constant signal velocity of 0. 113
The profiles were distributed on the vault and the m/ns within the concrete lining was used to con-
sidewall, where there are cracks on the surface of vert the original time axis to depth. A crack was
tunnel lining. The photo of a typical crack on the found in this profile, and was labeled out by the
surface of the tunnel lining is shown in Fig. 3. cursor in the GPR image. The center of crack can
be noted at the 0. 200 m position on the profile,
3.2 GPR data acquisition, processing and inter- and its depth is about 291 mm. The waveforms and
pretation
In Fig. 4, a processed dataset from one of the
profiles is presented together with the interpreted
result for the quarterly arch of the tunnel. The
vertical axis denotes nanoseconds in the dataset and
millimeters for the result. A constant signal veloci-
ty of 0. 113 m/ns within the concrete lining was
used to convert the original time axis to depth. A
crack was found in this profile, and was labeled
out by the cursor in the GPR image. The center of
crack can be noted at the 0. 561 m position on the
profile, and its depth is about 182 mm. The wave-
forms and phases appeared across in the GPR im-
age. It indicated that there were some uncompact- Fig. 5 GPR image of profile for
ed or loosen concrete inside the tunnel lining in this detecting crack on vault
LIU Dun-wen, et a h Nondestructive testing for crack of tunnel lining using GPR • 123 •

phases appeared across in the GPR image. This in-
dicated that there were some uncompacted or loos-
en concrete inside the tunnel lining in this profile.
In Fig. 6, a processed dataset from one of the
profiles is presented together with the interpreted
result for the sidewall of the tunnel. The vertical
axis denotes nanoseconds in the dataset and milli-
meters for the result. A constant signal velocity of
0. 113 m / n s within the concrete lining was used to
convert the original time axis to depth. A crack
was found in this profile, and was labeled out by
the cursor in the GPR image. The center of crack
can be noted at the 0. 269 m position on the profile,
and its depth is about 182 ram. No uncompacted or
loosen concrete inside the tunnel lining was found
in this profile.
Fig. 6 GPR image of profile for
detecting crack on sidewall
In this paper, only a part of typical radar ima-
ges were chosen from the case to discuss the prob-
lem about GPR detection of cracks for the tunnel
lining, considering the length of paper. The space
positions (depth and horizontal position) of every
crack can be determined by moving cursor of GPR
signal processing software. From the above survey
results, the radar image features of cracks were
analyzed distinctly, and all the cracks were la-
beled.
4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSES
The aim of investigation is to detect the sur-
face crack depth and inspect the concrete quality
around the cracks. Fifteen profiles were measured
using GPR in six sections of the tunnel. The inves-
tigation results for evaluating the cracks and the
concrete quality around the cracks are shown in
Table 2.
Seen from Table 2, all the cracks depths are
more than 10 cm, and the concrete quality around
the cracks are uncompacted and loosen. The con-
struction joint and the crack were joined together
on the vault of the section of K3 q-88 - K3 q-90.
The cracks depths are more than 25 cm in profile
90-2 and profile 90-3, and it extends more deeply
towards the construction joint. It is guessed that
this crack may penetrate through the lining at the
place of the construction joint.
It is shown that the quality problem of the un-
compacted concrete occurred in several sections on
the arch of tunnel lining, and some ill phenomena,
such as concrete desquamating, pockmarked face
and blanch, appeared on the surface of lining. A
lot of cracks were found on the lining of arch and
sidewall in Yuyuan Tunnel during the investiga-
tion. The cracks were arranged in a crisscross

Table 2 Investigation results for evaluating cracks and concrete quality

Section name Position of profile Profile name Crack depth/mm Concrete quality Remark
K1q-593 Right sidewall 593-1 136 Voidfree Crack depth measurement
K1--k825 Right sidewall 825-1 182 Voidfree Crack depth measurement
90-1 171 Uncompacted Crack depth measurement

90-2 257 Uncompacted, loosen Crack depth measurement

K3+88- K3+90 Arch 90-3 291 Uncompacted, loosen Crack depth measurement

90-4 129 Less voidfree Crack depth measurement

90-5 Uncompacted, loosen Concrete quality inspection

K3+145 - K3+147 Quarterly arch 147-1 Uncompacted, loosen Concrete quality inspection

158-1 181 Uncompacted Crack depth measurement

K3+155- K3+158 Arch 158-2 169 Uncompacted Crack depth measurement

158-3 143 Less voidfree Crack depth measurement

185-1 187 Uncompacted Crack depth measurement

185-2 186 Uncompacted Crack depth measurement
K3 + 180 - K 3 + 185 Arch
185-3 189 Uncompacted Crack depth measurement
185-4 130 Less voidfree Crack depth measurement
 • 124 •
p a t t e r n in some sections of tunnel lining. T h e
w i d t h of the microcrack is not larger than 0 . 2 mm~
and t h a t of the big crack is not less t h a n 4 mm.
T h e m a x i m a l d e p t h of cracks is larger t h a n 29 era.
T h e m o u t h s of some cracks even have some obvi-
o u s dip offset.
5 C O N C L U S I O N S AND SUGGESTSIONS
G r o u n d p e n e t r a t i n g radar w a s successfully
used to delineate the locations of cracks in the t u n -
nel lining. G P R was also useful for m o n i t o r i n g the
p r o g r e s s and success of the s u b s e q u e n t g r o u t i n g
operation. T h e use of G P R avoided the expensive,
invasive and potentially destructive task of c u t t i n g
t h r o u g h the concrete lining. G P R is a n o n d e s t r u c -
tive, p o w e r f u l and economical tool for quality de-
tection and cracks investigation of concrete linings.
T h e r e s u l t s of this investigation can give guidance
to dispose the cracks and repair the tunnel lining.
T h e m a i n quality p r o b l e m s of the tunnel lining are
s u m m a r i z e d as follows.
1) T h e quality p r o b l e m of the u n c o m p a c t e d
concrete o c c u r r e d in several sections on the arch of
t u n n e l lining, and some ill p h e n o m e n o n , such as
concrete d e s q u a m a t i n g , p o c k m a r k e d face and
b l a n c h , appeared on the surface of lining.
2) A lot of cracks w e r e f o u n d on the lining of
a r c h and sidewall in Y u y u a n T u n n e l during the in-
vestigation. T h e cracks were a r r a n g e d in a criss-
cross p a t t e r n in some sections of tunnel lining.
T h e w i d t h of the microcrack is not larger t h a n
0 . 2 mm~ and that of the big crack is not less t h a n
4 mm. T h e d e p t h s of all cracks are larger t h a n
10 em, and the m a x i m a l depth of cracks is larger
t h a n 29 cm. T h e m o u t h s of some cracks even have
some o b v i o u s dip offset.
T h e f a r t h e r inspections s h o u l d be carried out
in o r d e r to find out m o r e quality p r o b l e m s and dis-
cover the reason of lining crazing, and the cracks
s h o u l d be disposed. T h e t w o m e t h o d s are used for
the f a r t h e r inspections of tunnel lining:
1) T o detect cavity for wall rock of tunnel
using G P R w i t h an intermediate frequency a n t e n n a
(200 - 400 M H z ) .
2) T o test the concrete s t r e n g t h . T h e core
sampling m e t h o d is used for the lining on the side-
wall; the r e b o u n d h a m m e r or the pull-out m e t h o d
is used to for the lining on the vault.
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(Edited by PENG Chao-qun)