A far-field airborne radar NDT technique for detecting debonding in GFRP–retrofitted concrete structures

A far-field airborne radar (FAR) nondestructive testing (NDT) technique integrating inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) measurements and a backprojection algorithm for the condition assessment of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP)–wrapped concrete structures is proposed. The method is directed toward the detection of near-surface defects and delaminations located in the vicinity of GFRP–concrete interface. Normal and oblique incidence measurement schemes were adopted and studied for their effectiveness in detecting near-surface anomalies. This technique is also applied to the detection of rebars in reinforced concrete cylinders. Laboratory measurements in the frequency range 8–12 GHz were made on artificially damaged GFRP–concrete cylinders for validating the concept of this technique. Spatial resolutions (range and cross-range) are improved by integrating radar measurements at different azimuth angles and in different frequencies, and implementing the developed progressive image focusing scheme. The feasibility of the proposed FAR NDT technique for distant inspection is validated through these studies.