Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is frequently used in pavement assessments, mainly using the evaluation of wave travel times. However, GPR data provide further information that could be used in order to determine the inner conditions and characteristics about materials. In this paper, the possible analysis of the frequency spectrum of GPR signals is analysed and discussed. Several tests were carried out in a portion of a highway in two different stages of its service life. Results highlight the relationship between the shape of the spectrum and the frequency signature with the structure and conditions of the pavement.Preprin

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a prospecting method frequently used in monitoring asphalt pavements, especially as an optimal complement to the defection test that is commonly used for determining the structural condition of the pavements. Its application is supported by studies that demonstrate the existence of a relationship between the parameters determined in GPR data (usually travel time and wave amplitude) and the preservation conditions of the structure. However, the analysis of frequencies is rarely applied in pavement assessment. Nevertheless, spectral analysis is widespread in other fields such as medicine or dynamic analysis, being one the most common analytical methods in wave processing through use of the Fourier transform. Nevertheless, spectral analysis has not been thoroughly applied and evaluated in GPR surveys, specifically in the field of pavement structures. This work is focused on analyzing the behavior of the GPR data spectra as a consequence of different problems affecting the pavement. The study focuses on the determination of areas with failures in bituminous pavement structures. Results epitomize the sensitivity of frequencies to the materials and, in some cases, to the damage.

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