Detection of moisture content profile of concrete using ground penetrating radar

Moisture content in concrete is essential, as it influences durability, strength, and cracking susceptibility, critical for structural longevity and safety. This paper aims to explore the potential of GPR in detecting the distribution of moisture content in concrete. By utilizing the approximate linear relationship between the dielectric constant and the moisture content of concrete, this study realizes the detection of concrete moisture content profile by GPR. The concrete moisture content profile is derived from radar echo data using full waveform inversion (FWI). The simulations show that different initial values converge to the true values with a maximum error of 0.33%, demonstrating the feasibility of the method. Experimental results demonstrate a strong correlation between GPR measurements and the gravimetric method, with an average error of 2.5%, affirming the accuracy of GPR in detecting moisture content profiles for engineering applications.