Approach to identify misaligned dowel and tie bars in concrete pavements using ground penetrating radar

Dowels are used in jointed concrete pavements to provide load transfer and improve performance. Misaligned dowels could cause poor joint performance that would lead to pavement distresses. An approach to detect misaligned dowel bars in concrete pavements using GPR is proposed. The paper addresses all forms and combinations of dowel misalignment. Equations were developed to identify each misalignment type, and statistical analyses were performed on major categories for the entire project. A decision on the acceptance or rejection of a dowel bar, a joint, or a pavement section, can be made based on the results of the computations and specified tolerance values.