Development of Hand-Held Thermographic Inspection Technologies

Subsurface deterioration in concrete structures presents a significant challenge for inspection and maintenance engineers. Cracking, delaminations and spalling that can occur as a result of corrosion of embedded reinforcing steel can lead to pot holes and even punch-through in concrete decks. For overpass bridges, concrete can separate from the structure and fall into traffic below the bridge, and there have been numerous deadly accidents as a result. Although this deterioration can frequently be detected using hammer sounding and/or chain dragging, these inspection techniques require hands-on access to the surface of the concrete. For both overpass bridges and decks, lane closures are required to gain access to the structure, and the resulting traffic disruptions makes inspections expensive and logistically difficult. The proposed research would explore the use of hand-held infrared cameras for the remote detection of deterioration in concrete. This technology could reduce the need for lane closures and improve the ability of inspection and maintenance personnel to detect and monitor deterioration in its embryonic stages, such that maintenance procedures can be employed before deterioration becomes critical. The technology can also be used to monitor and improve concrete repairs by rapidly identifying the extent of deterioration and locating its boundaries.

• Record URL:
  http://utc.mst.edu/research/R198.html

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $241533.00
• Contract Numbers:

  DTRT06-G-0014

  RI 06-038

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Missouri Department of Transportation

  1617 Missouri Boulevard
  P.O. Box 270
  Jefferson City, MO  United States  65102

  Department of Transportation

  Research and Special Programs Administration
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC    20590
• Project Managers:

  Harper, Jennifer

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Missouri, Columbia

  Department of Civil Engineering
  Columbia, MO  United States  65211
• Principal Investigators:

  Washer, Glenn

• Start Date: 20070101
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20090706
• Source Data: RiP Project 15205

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete structures; Corrosion; Deterioration; Inspection equipment; Maintenance; Remote sensing; Research projects
• Uncontrolled Terms: Infrared cameras; Subsurface deterioration
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01462780
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Center for Infrastructure Engineering Studies
• Contract Numbers: DTRT06-G-0014, RI 06-038
• Files: UTC, RIP, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 2:10PM