Unmanned aerial vehicle-based non-destructive testing methods for concrete structures
Date
2018-09
Authors
Blaney, Sean
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier; Cement and Concrete Composites
Abstract
In this work, unmanned aerial vehicle-based non-destructive testing methods for concrete structures are evaluated and developed. There exists a need for improved infrastructure inspection techniques with increased expediency. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are highly mobile and have shown promise towards achieving this directive, but more work is required to adapt traditional NDT methods to be UAV-compatible. To this end, concrete sounding techniques were evaluated with a quantitative acoustic frequency analysis procedure on a series of concrete slabs. One such method was adapted for use with a UAV and was used to detect subsurface voids in one of the concrete samples and offer a means of depth estimation. This work was complemented with experiments concerning UAV-based visual and infrared imaging techniques already in practice for UAV-based concrete inspection. Together, findings indicate the strengths and weaknesses of the NDTs tested and suggest further improvements for UAV-based NDTs and inspection strategies moving forward. Development of a novel sensor platform for UAV-based measurement, as well as results of an actual bridge inspection using infrared and optical methods demonstrate the present capabilities of the UAV-based instrumentation.
Description
Keywords
non-destructive testing, concrete structures, concrete sounding, unmanned aerial vehicles, UAV, infrared thermography
Citation
Sean Blaney, Rishi Gupta, Sounding of subsurface concrete defects using frequency response of flexural vibration, Cement and Concrete Composites, Volume 92, 2018, Pages 155-164, ISSN 0958-9465, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2018.06.006.