Detection and classification of small perturbations in GPR scans of reinforced concrete bridge decks

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is used in this study to inspect reinforced concrete bridge decks for the presence of defects. However, many small scale defects do not produce a strong reflection. This paper models the effect of these defects as small perturbations in the expected steel rebar reflections, and proposes a system to detect and classify these perturbations.