If you’re in the construction or excavations industry and you’ve got a large slab of concrete that needs digging up, then you’re going to need to invest in some GPR technology. Fortunately, there are companies out there that specialise in using ground penetrating radar. But why do you need to use GPR before you do anything else? Why can’t you just get the jackhammer out and start blasting away at the concrete block? Well, in this article we’re going to take you through the benefits of exploring the concrete with GPR first.
1 – Avoid damaging utilities and power lines
This is the most crucial point of all. The fact is, concrete isn’t see-through, so it’s unwise to start digging away at it before identifying if there are obstacles beneath the surface. The last thing you want is for one of your crew to accidentally cut through a power line. Not only is this incredibly dangerous for them, but it can also cause a significant amount of disruption. Can you imagine causing a blackout to the rest of the side, or potentially to the buildings in the surrounding block? That would be a nightmare and not the sort of attention you’d want to attract.
Instead, by using GPR to explore the concrete first, you can ensure that when cutting or digging, you can do so with expert precision. This can speed up the process significantly, as you’re no longer faced with having to worry about cutting into anything that you shouldn’t be. This can cave you time, money, energy and labour. That’s what it’s all about!
2 – Dodge the rebars
Rebars are the little reinforced steel rods that are generally meshed together inside the concrete to reduce tension and increase the overall structural rigidity of the structure. Without these bars, a block of concrete would be incredibly easy to shatter, particularly in the event of an earthquake. By using GPR prior to drilling or cutting, you can identify precisely where the rebar’s are an ensure that you do not hit them when proceeding with the job. This will save you a world of trouble!
3 – Locate post-tension cables
Post-tension cables are like rebars, but on a much smaller scale. For example, post-tension cables are used with thinner concrete slabs, or to support greater span lengths between support columns. These steel-wire bunched cables are important, and so you wouldn’t want to cut into them when drilling through a particular part of a concrete construct. In fact, if you crack on and start drilling or cutting without locating the PTC’s beforehand, you could cause some serious and irreparable damage.
Conclusion
Before you decide to excavate anything on a construction site, you should definitely consider hiring a concrete scanning company. The same applies for digging the foundation of a building as well! GPR can be used to explore a large space, and provide accurate measurements for what is hiding underneath, invisible to the naked eye. Again, this investment in research will save you an awful lot of time and trouble. It’s the most effective way or speeding up the process and ensuring that no mistakes are made. Of course, you might think that having to wait for a GPR specialist to turn up and scan your site can only slow you down. However, when you consider how valuable the information, they will provide you with is, you certainly won’t regret taking the time to invest in such an investigation.
