Road and Bridge
During bridge and road rehabilitation projects state engineers and road contractors may have a need to locate and position key structural elements in a bridge or road structure such as: reinforcing steel, steel columns, or conduits. By utilizing Ground Penetrating Radar — GPR, to see below the surface, Diamond can provide a clear “subsurface image” of targets within the bridge or road structure Before any digging or breaking of the surface begins on any given project Ground Penetrating Radar can be used to mitigate risks by providing accurate location and orientation of subsurface targets.
Subsurface Imaging (GPR), Electric Conduit Location
Client:
Joe Louis Arena People Mover—City of Detroit
Project
While conducting structural integrity testing on the parking ramp deck near the People Mover station at Joe Louis Arena, the home of the National Hockey League’s Detroit Red Wings, an electrical conduit was slightly damaged. The specific damaged conduit needed to be shut down so repairs could take place and many nearby conduits needed to keep functioning in order to keep the People Mover in operation. The challenge was to determine with pinpoint accuracy which conduit was the damaged one so it could be isolated and repaired without impacting the operation of Detroit’s People Mover.
Process
Diamond was asked to survey the area in order to determine which of the conduits was damaged. Using GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) with 3D capability and Radan software technology, a Diamond engineer scanned the parking ramp area. The next day, Diamond provided a mapped scan identifying the damaged conduit, showing its exact location and the control box it serviced.
Outcomes
According to Jason Duda, General Foreman of Detroit Electrical Services, LLC (DES), the project’s General Contractor, Diamond did a great job. “We completed the repairs and all went well at the Joe Louis Arena,” he said. “The GPR device Diamond used found the conduit under the concrete. This discovery saved the company a lot of time and money. Their prompt and professional service was highly appreciated. In the future we will highly recommend Diamond to our clients.”