Identification of pavement layers using a thermal probe

Abstract

To obtain information about pavement structure, nowadays, destructive prospecting is carried out, interfering significantly with traffic. Proposed here in is a less destructive and invasive technique, whereby a thermal probe with temperature sensors is installed in the pavement. This process identifies the sources of heat to obtain the temperature distribution as a function of time and space at different depths; to solve the heat transfer problem in two dimensions and to estimate the thickness and thermal materials properties of each layer through the Inverse Problem. The Direct Problem has been modeled by a heat conduction equation and solved by Central Finite Differences, using the explicit method of time advancements. The Genetic and Memetic Algorithms have been efficient in estimating the thickness of the layers and they have presented little difference between the estimated values at each application. The proposed technique has been efficient in estimating the thickness in the tests with experimental pavements and it brings a new perspective for structural evaluation, with reduced pavement intervention and traffic interference. Keywords