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Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI), in collaboration with the University of Texas, has been awarded a program from the U.S. Army to develop a Radar for Non-Destructive Characterization of Concrete Structures.

The U.S. Army and other DOD forces occasionally need to gain an understanding of concrete structures in situations where mechanical test methods would be undesirable. There are several existing methods to assess the structural properties and predict reinforcement but each of these methods has specific deficiencies (e.g. too loud, too large, too inconsistent). Ground penetrating radar is a promising technology for non-destructive concrete substructure characterization but currently requires significant personnel training to operate the devices and properly interpret the results. PSI’s system will address this need for an easy and rapid evaluation tool. The device will use a deployable multi-static radar antenna and machine learning techniques to make a single 3D scan of a concrete volume then algorithmically locate, classify, and display actionable information.

While this technology is being specifically developed for U.S. Army operations, this easy-to-use system will have numerous commercial applications including search and rescue operations within collapsed structures or wall breaching by firefighters or police during emergencies. The algorithmic feature classification and strength predictions simplify operations making ground penetrating radar (GPR) more accessible to untrained users for building inspections or other survey needs and the ability to store the system in a backpack makes it attractive for operators on the move.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Peter Warren
Vice President, Material Systems
[pwarren@psicorp.com](mailto: pwarren@psicorp.com)
Physical Sciences Inc.
Telephone: (978) 689-0003