A global approach to detecting and characterizing water leakage in a concrete bridge deck: Parametric study to validate an adapted Full-Waveform Inversion method

• The optimized FWI method is adaptable and capable of reconstructing both the dielectric and geometric parameters of a multilayered structure with any number of layers and unknown parameters using only a few A-scans. • The efficiency of the optimized FWI method is achieved due to the two-dimensional nature of the layer system. • The simplicity of a multilayered facilitates a much faster and more straightforward inversion algorithm, making these features especially advantageous for practical applications. • The high accuracy of the optimized FWI method is validated through direct comparison with experiments where the exact parameters are known. The objective of this study is to address issues related to defects in waterproofing membranes through the use of Ground Penetration Radar to detect water leakage into the concrete layer of bridge decks. Given that processing radar signals based solely on temporal data introduces significant estimation errors, an advanced method optimized from Full-Waveform Inversion (FWI) is employed. This method accounts for several unknown factors, including boundary conditions, antenna positioning inaccuracies, and approximations inherent in 2D modeling during the inversion process. The method is adaptable and capable of reconstructing both the dielectric and geometric parameters of a multilayered structure with any number of layers and unknown parameters using just a few A-scans (up to 10, depending on the number of parameters and layers). In contrast, other methods typically require several hundred A-scans. This efficiency is achieved due to the two-dimensional nature of the layer system. Additionally, the simplicity of the structure facilitates a much faster and more straightforward inversion algorithm, hence making these features especially advantageous for practical applications. The optimized Full-Waveform Inversion approach allows for an accurate determination of unknown parameters within a multilayered medium. The high accuracy of this method is validated through a direct comparison with experiments, wherein the exact parameters are known. Such an approach enables the attainment of a low relative error using the currently available measurement device.