Bridge condition assessment using remote sensors.
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2013-02-01
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Abstract:The challenges of a deteriorating and aged infrastructure continue to challenge transportation
authorities as they align maintenance and replacement priorities with decreasing funds. The
United States is home to nearly 600,000 highway bridges of which nearly 12% are structurally
deficient. This document reports the applicability of low cost, commercially available remote
sensing technologies for assessing the condition of bridges.
Numerous remote sensing technologies were evaluated for their ability to measure associated
high priority challenges at specific superstructure zones. Using quantifiable health indicators
(e.g., percent spall, percent delamination, crack width) each technology was ranked based on
criteria for applicability to enhance bridge inspection. Ranking criteria included commercial
availability, measurement capabilities, cost, ease of data collection, complexity of analysis,
stand-off distance and traffic disruption. Remote sensing technologies that scored as most
promising included photogrammetric methods (3-D Optics, Bridgeviewer, GigaPan), passive
infrared thermography, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), digital image correlation (DIC),
ultra-wide band imaging of GPR, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and multispectral satellite
imagery.
Based on these ranking results, promising technologies were further developed (with some
technologies maturing into systems), evaluated, and compared to ground truth (e.g., hammer
sounding, chain drag) via laboratory and field testing on in-service Michigan bridges. Spall and
delamination maps were generated from the optical and thermal IR images using commercial
software and an automatic detection algorithm. Integration of the maps into ArcGIS, a
professional geographic information system, allowed for a streamlined analysis that included
integrating the results of the complimentary technologies, including visual inspection and ground
truth results.
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