GPR Characterization of Concrete Tubes and Electrical Cables Buried in the Test Site at São Paulo University – Applications to Urban Planning and Infrastructure

This paper presents some GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) results on the first Brazilian test site. The test site was constructed close to Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics, and Atmospheric Science (IAG) at São Paulo University campus (USP), in São Paulo city. Different materials and object sizes were installed at several depths along seven lines. The targets buried simulate geotechnical, environmental, and archaeological studies. 200 MHz and 400 MHz GPR profiles were acquired along two lines containing empty concrete tubes, and electrical cables buried that are usually used in the great cities of whole world. Obtained results show typical hyperbolic reflections pattern characteristic for each target, and permit to estimate target dimension. These results can be used as reference pattern, and can be extrapolated to areas in which information about surface is lacking.