Dipping Wire Mesh and Subgrade Utilities

Wire mesh is a common reinforcement option for concrete, and is regularly spaced and arranged in a grid pattern. Unlike rebar, wire mesh is somewhat flexible and can occur at different depths across the slab.

With GSSI concrete scanning equipment, you can resolve the reinforcement and penetrate deep enough to see buried pipes and other targets.

A common slab scenario is wire mesh reinforcement. Wire mesh targets are regularly spaced and are typically closer together than rebar. Each strand of wire creates a target.
In some cases, scanning jobs require more than just identifying what is in the slab. Flex NX and Flex LT let you see what is below the slab, helping to prevent unintentional damage to buried utilities.

Concrete Slab with Wire Mesh and Rebar Dowel Joints

Rebar dowel joints are installed when a section of slab is removed and a new floating section is poured. This ties the floating section to the original, reinforced slab.

High resolution GPR can distinguish between the mesh and rebar dowel joints. Adding the depth performance of Flex NX and Flex LT ensure that you will also detect targets below the slab.

Double Rebar Layer in a Poured Concrete Wall

Structural walls must be heavily-reinforced to ensure proper load-bearing capabilities. But what if you are rehabbing a building and want to cut, core, or drill through a reinforced wall?

Flex NX offers the perfect combination of resolution and depth to ensure that each reinforcement target is individually identified, regardless of the wall thickness. In most cases, penetrating behind the wall can show unexpected targets and help you avoid them.

Flex NX can image multiple rebar layers and the spacing between individual bars. Additionally, Flex NX can image the back of the slab and help you determine thickness.

In this case, Flex NX revealed all of the rebar and the back of the concrete wall. It also identified an air void between the wall and the soil layers behind it, which could be a structural hazard in some buildings. Possible targets may be present behind the wall, which would require additional scanning.

Post-Tensioned Cables in a Parking Deck

Use your Flex NX or Flex LT to identify the concrete structures, and their characteristics, for any given jobsite. These concrete scanning systems help you find, identify, and avoid PT cables but it is important to have a thorough understanding of the relevant construction techniques and the unique information that GPR provides.