Case Study from Application of High-Resolution Ultra-Wideband Radar for QC/QA Analysis of Trenchless Pipe Rehabilitation and Pipeline Condition Assessment

Advanced condition assessment technologies for buried municipal pipeline applications have been gaining significant attention in recent years. This paper presents a case study from the recently completed pipeline condition assessment project employing Ultra Wideband (UWB) radar system integrated with closed circuit television (CCTV) camera. Recently, a storm drain was rehabilitated using the trenchless slip lining technique. Following rehabilitation, a non-destructive testing (NDT) based quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) analysis was performed to evaluate the quality of rehabilitation. Prior to the field test, laboratory based feasibility study was conducted using pipe specimen with artificially created defects. Results from both laboratory and field evaluations are presented in this paper. The results indicated the possibility of employing UWB radar as a tool for detecting quality control issues in the trenchless slip lining projects including grout blockage within the annular space, uniformity of grout thickness and proper alignment of liner pipe.