This paper describes the results of a project which employed impulse radar to detect faults existing beneath the surface of an asphalt-covered bridge deck at Papineau Creek, Ontario. A simple but enlightening mathematical analysis is provided which accurately predicts the waveforms actually observed. The methodology clearly demonstrates the usefulness of impulse radar as a diagnostic tool in remote sensing. Amongst the problems discussed and solved are: the identification of faults due to debonding, scaling, and delamination; the measurement of asphalt thickness at selected locations on the bridge deck and hence the determination of average thickness over the entire bridge deck; and the automated processing of the data using a computer. A comparison of the radar detected faults with those detected using conventional methods is provided. A set of parameters has been developed which permits data to be reduced to a simple set of measurements that can be plotted for visual inspection. Dans cet article, on decrit les r6sultats d'un projet dans lequel on a utilise un radar impulsionnel pour detecter les defauts sur la surface d'un pont asphalte a PapineauCreek, Ontario. On utilise une methode d'analyse simple qui calcule avec precision les formes d'onde observees. La methodologie demontre clairement l'application du radar impulsionnel comme un outil pratique dans les applications de detection des objets eloignes. On etudie les problemes suivants: l'identification des defauts dus aux "debonding, scaling" et a la "delamination." On fait une etude com parative pour la detection des defauts observes par la methode proposee et par d'autres methodes usuelles. On etablit un ensemble des parametres qui permet la reduction des donnees en un ensemble de mesures pour inspection visuelle. |