Non‐destructive assessment of hot mix asphalt compaction/density with a step‐frequency radar: case study on a newly paved road

Abstract

A Step Frequency Radar (SFR) is used for assessing the compaction of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) layers. The system is composed of a network analyser and an Ultra Wide Band (UWB) antenna placed above the road surface. The measurements are carried out on a new-paved road in Cagny (Normandie, France). The SFR system provides the permittivity of the first overlay. The data is corrected from vehicle vibrations and calibrated at fixed locations. Then, the HMA compaction is deduced with a Lichteneker-Rother (LR) model. The results are compared with standard tests (gamma bench testing on cores and in-place nuclear gauge). We show that the SFR system allows the nondestructive assessment of HMA overlay with a high density of points, and with an accuracy close to the compaction provided by standard tests

Rock permittivity characterization and application of electromagnetic mixing models for density/compactness assessment of HMA by means of step‐frequency radar

“…A previous study carried out on 11 different rocks has reported the good repeatability of this method (Fauchard et al . ). Indeed, the permittivity of each tested rocks was averaged on 10 to 15 cores for one single type of rock at six frequencies.…”

“…This study updates some results of a previous work (Fauchard et al . ) and intends to test dielectric mixture models selected in the literature. To evaluate the HMA density with radar methods, rocks extracted from various quarries for road manufacturing have been studied.…”

“…() for three‐phase mixture and by Fauchard et al . (, ) for four‐phase mixture. Here, we provide a brief reminder of these basic principles.…”

“…(), Leng, Al‐Qadi, and Lahouar. (), and Fauchard, Beaucamp, and Laguerre (). In the second section of this work, these models are applied and discussed to a laboratory investigation.…”

“…These measurements complete a previous study carried out on 11 rock types (Fauchard et al . ), and a discussion is proposed on the measured values and their dependence to the rock bulk density and their mineral composition.…”