FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for estimating the thickness of below-grade concrete. More particularly, the disclosure is directed to systems and methods for non-destructively estimating the thickness of below-grade concrete using dry parallel seismic testing.

BACKGROUND

Concrete structures often include both above- and below-grade portions. The above-grade portion is exposed above the surface of the ground (i.e., exposed concrete), while the below-grade portion is buried beneath the surface of the ground (i.e., buried concrete). The exposed concrete is often referred to as a pier or a pedestal, or less commonly, as a column. The buried concrete is often referred to as a pad, a footing, a foundation, or an anchor block. Concrete structures having both above- and below-grade portions are used in many industries for diverse purposes, including to support infrastructures such as cellular telephone towers, transmission line towers, and wind turbines.

In many circumstances, it is desirable to determine or estimate the thickness of the below-grade portion of such concrete structures. This will help to evaluate, for example, whether the concrete structure is suitable for new, updated, or adapted uses as well as any increased load capacity for such uses. Knowing the thickness of below-grade concrete is particularly useful in the telecommunications field because the recently-adopted 5G cellular standard may require different or additional equipment than that required for predecessor technologies. Thus, existing cellular telephone towers may be retrofitted with the different or additional equipment, which could pose different load conditions on the towers.

In some circumstances, the thickness of the below-grade portion of such concrete structures may be unknown. For example, the engineering plans for such structures may be lost, destroyed, or unable to be located. Other times, the structure may not have been built according to design specifications. Uncertainty about the thickness of below-grade concrete is also common in countries that lack rigorous inspection guidelines or regulations.

Current methods for determining or estimating the thickness of below-grade concrete are inefficient. Known methods require excavating around the concrete structure to expose the buried concrete portion, which can lie several feet or more below the surface of the ground. Excavation requires manual labor and/or the use of heavy machinery, both of which are expensive, labor-intensive, time-consuming, and potentially dangerous. Further, excavation is not always practical or possible. When a concrete structure to be investigated is located on a mountain or a hill, it may be difficult or impossible to transport the excavating machinery to the structure. When a concrete structure is located in a rocky area, it may be challenging and expensive to excavate in such areas to expose the concrete.

Another inefficiency in current methods is the risk that while excavating, underground utilities may be inadvertently damaged, causing disruption to nearby residents and business owners. Also, the infrastructure supported by the concrete structures to be excavated, such as cellular telephone towers, often have to be shut down during the excavation, resulting in service disruptions.

A more efficient way of estimating the thickness of below-grade concrete is therefore needed.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for non-destructively estimating the thickness of below-grade concrete. The inventive systems and methods disclosed or described herein do not require excavating around a concrete structure, thereby eliminating the inefficiencies and safety hazards of current methods.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, in conjunction with the appended claims.

