Concrete Scanning | GPRS Images

Concrete Scanning Services

Commercial, Residental & Industrial

RAPID RESPONSE - NATIONWIDE SERVICE

From skyscrapers to sewer lines, GPRS Intelligently Visualizes The Built World® to keep your people safe, and your projects on time and budget.  We offer a comprehensive suite of infrastructure visualization services, including utility locating, precision concrete scanning and imaging, 3D laser scanning, video pipe inspection, leak detection, and mapping & modeling

With over 500 Project Managers strategically stationed in every major market and city across the United States, we have an unmatched service network that makes it quick and easy to find an expert Project Manager wherever your job site is located. GPRS ensures that a Project Manager can reach your location within 24 to 48 hours of contact to solve any and all of your infrastructure visualization needs.

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View the GPRS Green Box Guarantee

CONCRETE CORING APPLICATIONS

Concrete coring comes at a risk to you and your team – as well as your budget and schedule. GPRS Project Managers are equipped with multiple technologies to clear areas prior to you core drilling and/or anchoring. Upon completion of the scanning process, you will have a clear layout of the vertical and horizontal position of impediments such as post tension cables, rebar, beams, and conduits. Our scanning and imaging services can be completed on any surface you might be working on, including concrete slabs, walls, columns, and beams. Learn More

SAW-CUTTING APPLICATIONS

As with concrete coring, it’s crucial to locate unseen or buried objects prior to saw cutting into slab-on-grade concrete. You don’t want to risk severing post tension cables, rebar, conduits, pipes, grade beams, or any of the other obstructions that could be inches from your saw blade. GPRS concrete scanning and imaging services mitigate these risks by utilizing both ground penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic (EM) locating to visualize what is inside and underneath your concrete slab. Learn More

PRE-PLANNING AND DESIGN

Obtaining accurate information regarding where future concrete penetrations will take place is one of the most crucial steps in the planning process of a construction project. GPRS Project Managers use the Subsurface Investigation Methodology (SIM) to guide our process for scanning concrete structures prior to the construction phase, so we can reduce costly change orders and limit the redesign process on your next project. Unlike traditional concrete X-ray, ground penetrating radar (GPR) allows us to scan large areas and provide you with hyper-accurate findings via a field sketch, CAD drawing, or even a 3D model. Learn More

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is the premier tool for providing accurate and comprehensive information about the subsurface infrastructure of your project site. GPRS Project Managers provide GPR scanning services to determine key slab information for Structural Engineers, including rebar and post tension spacing and depth, concrete cover and overlay thickness, concrete thickness, and even dowel placement. With GPRS’ ability to scan complete concrete structures, we are not limited by size for structural analysis. Learn More

WHAT CAN I EXPECT WHEN I HIRE GPRS?

FIELD MARKINGS

Our Project Managers tailor our services to meet your needs, and that includes our field markings. Paint, marker, crayon, flags – whatever you need to Intelligently Visualize The Built World™ under your feet.

CAD DRAWINGS

You know that communication is critical to success on a job site. The GPRS Mapping & Modeling Team will provide you with CAD drawings that document project results and create a permanent record of our findings. These drawings allow you and your job site partners to update as built drawings for preplanning, core drilling or cutting, or to document site change history.

3D CAD FILES

To help you fully visualize your job site, GPRS offers 3D mapping and modeling to document interior findings. These realistic 3D CAD files document the vertical and horizontal elevations, providing a more accurate, easier-to-read visual than your standard 2D model.

3D MODELING

The ultimate form of communication on your project takes the shape of our modeling and walk-thru capabilities, using our state-of-the-art 3D cameras.

The cost of concrete scanning & imaging can vary widely depending on the scope of your job. GPRS customizes every job quote to meet your needs and provides photographic documentation of your scans via SiteMap®.

Green Box Guarantee Logo | GPRS Images
When GPRS places a green box within a layout prior to cutting or coring concrete, we guarantee that area to be free of obstructions.
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Project Manager Using GPR for Concrete Scanning  | GPRS Images

CONCRETE SCANNING SAFETY & INJURY PREVENTION

Safety is GPRS’ top priority and at the core of all our services. 

The main goal of concrete scanning and imaging is to protect the structural integrity of the concrete, ensuring the safety of everyone involved in the project. Our job is to detect and mark sections of reinforcing steel and other subsurface anomalies in the concrete to help you and your team avoid injury as you cut, drill, and otherwise penetrate the surface. 

Post tension cables are of particular concern – and danger – when you’re working with concrete. The tension these cables are under is so high that if one of them is accidentally cut, it’s possible that the severed cable could break through the concrete and injure a worker as well as damage the integrity of the structure. 

GPR also detects any electrical wires encased in conduits within concrete surfaces. This prevents cutters and drillers from damaging these utilities, and thus helps them avoid the life-threatening consequences of an electrical shock.
concrete scanning explained

5 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT GPR AND CONCRETE SCANNING

Man using a ground penetrating radar scanner.

1. CAN GROUND PENETRATING RADAR SCAN CONCRETE SLAB-ON-GRADE?

Yes, it can.

Unlike with X-ray, where both sides of a concrete slab must be accessible to obtain a picture of the subsurface structure, GPR only requires access to one side of a slab to obtain a comprehensive view of what’s inside. 

This makes it an ideal technology for evaluating concrete slab-on-grade.
Identify the difference between rebar, post tension cables, electrical and other embedded materials

2. CAN GROUND PENETRATING RADAR IDENTIFY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REBAR, POST TENSION CABLES, ELECTRICAL CONDUITS AND OTHER EMBEDDED MATERIALS?

GPR on its own does not tell you what type of object has been located, which is why it is inadvisable to attempt to complete this type of work yourself.

Fortunately, GPRS Project Managers are uniquely equipped to interpret the data collected by a GPR scanner to identify the type of embedded material present. 

Every GPRS Project Manager is required to complete the Subsurface Investigation Methodology (SIM) training program, which involves 320 hours of field training and 80 hours of classroom training. Through this regimen, our Project Managers tackle real-world scenarios in a safe and structured environment where they can learn to tackle these challenges with the highest level of accuracy and professionalism.
Marking anomalies in concrete with Concrete Scanning

3. HOW ACCURATE IS GROUND PENETRATING RADAR WITH MARKING ANOMALIES IN CONCRETE?

When operated by our highly trained Project Managers, GPR’s typical accuracy is +/- ¼” to the center of the object in concrete we locate: conduit, post tension cables, and rebar. We can also pinpoint the depth of every object we locate in concrete with an accuracy of +/- 10-15%. 

Because our accuracy while scanning with GPR is so high, we can offer you our professional opinion to help you know where you are able to drill without the risk of hitting any objects marked on the slab. For safety concerns, we always tell our contractors to move one-to-two inches from any marked line as they prepare to cut or drill to be sure they safely miss any embedded objects.

We are so confident in the accuracy of our Project Managers that we introduced the Green Box Guarantee, which states that when we place a Green Box within a layout prior to you anchoring or coring concrete, we guarantee that area will be free of obstructions. 

If we’re wrong, we will pay the material cost of the damage. 

You can learn more about our Green Box Guarantee here.
X-raying is a safe method to scan concrete  - GPRS -  Ground Penetrating Radar

4. ARE THERE ANY HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH GROUND PENETRATING RADAR?

No. This concern usually comes from someone familiar with X-ray technology, which carries the health risk of radiation-exposure. This is one of many reasons why concrete scanning and imaging with GPR is considered a safer, more efficient, and ultimately more successful alternative to X-ray.

The typical power output of a GPR antenna is less than what is produced by the cell phone in your pocket. As a result, there are no health concerns with our Project Managers, construction workers, or tenants in the building where scanning is taking place.

Additionally, GPR scanning is a quiet process, so noise issues are also not a concern.
Ground penetrating radar is an extremely efficient and fast technology

5. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SCAN AN AREA FOR CORE DRILLING?

Ground penetrating radar is an extremely efficient and rapid technology. Large areas can be easily and quickly scanned with the state-of-the-art GPR units utilized by GPRS Project Managers. Our standard layout for a typical core drilling location is 2’x2’.

It usually takes about 10 minutes to scan and mark an area this size.
GPRS follows the strict guidelines set in place by SIM. SIM stands for Subsurface Investigation Methodology. SIM is a standard operating procedure comprised of two specifications created specifically for subsurface investigations - one for underground utility locating and one for concrete scanning.
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