Advanced Sensing Technologies for Practical UAV-Based Condition Assessment (C20.2020)

The problem The study team is trying to investigate is the synergistic application of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with active acoustic sensing (AAS) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for the underside inspection of bridge decks. The problem is important because that employing such UAV-AAS-SAR system can (i) reduce inspection cost by more than 50%, (ii) improve inspectors’ safety, and iii) mitigate traffic interference with little or no traffic control measures needed. Consequently, substantial increases in productivity can be expected with the advances in hardware and software for UAVs and sensors. The team proposes to (1) develop an acoustic sensor capable of actively interrogating concrete delamination of bridge decks from underneath, (2) develop a compact radar sensor capable of remotely scanning concrete surface for delamination detection, (3) develop a UAV platform capable of housing the acoustic and the radar sensors for bridge inspection, (4) develop image processing and interpretation algorithms for condition assessment, and (5) work with partners in the bridge inspection industry to guide design decisions to produce a practical and useful system.

• Record URL:
  https://tidc.umaine.edu/tidc_project/c20-2020-umaine-uvm-uml/

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $848357
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551847101

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center

  University of Maine
  Orono, ME  United States  04469

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  University of Maine, Orono

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
  5717 Corbett Hall
  Orono, ME  United States  04469-5711

  University of Massachusetts Lowell

  One University Drive
  Lowell, MA  United States  01854

  University of Vermont, Burlington

  College of Engineering and Mathematics
  33 Colchester Avenue, 109 Votey Building
  Burlington, VT  United States  05405-0156
• Managing Organizations:

  Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center

  University of Maine
  Orono, ME  United States  04469

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  University of Vermont, Burlington

  College of Engineering and Mathematics
  33 Colchester Avenue, 109 Votey Building
  Burlington, VT  United States  05405-0156
• Project Managers:

  Dunn, Denise

• Performing Organizations:

  Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center

  University of Maine
  Orono, ME  United States  04469

  University of Vermont, Burlington

  College of Engineering and Mathematics
  33 Colchester Avenue, 109 Votey Building
  Burlington, VT  United States  05405-0156
• Principal Investigators:

  Huston, Dryver

  Yu, Tzuyang

  Landis, Eric

• Start Date: 20201001
• Expected Completion Date: 20250815
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acoustic equipment; Bridge decks; Cost effectiveness; Inspection; Unmanned aircraft systems
• Identifier Terms: Synthetic aperture radar
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Maintenance and Preservation; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01851453
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551847101
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jul 15 2022 3:53PM