UAS-Based Inspection of the Placer River Trail Bridge: A Data-Driven Approach

Over the last decade, unmanned aerial systems (UASs) technology has matured to the point that it is now a viable option for augmenting more traditional bridge inspection methods. Any UAS-based inspection must address questions regarding the design of the aerial platform, the choice of on-board inspection cameras, and the protocols for the human pilot to follow. The wide variety of currently available UASs and imaging systems, as well as a current lack of UAS inspection standards, can pose challenges to engineers attempting to design or test a new system. The Placer River Trail Bridge, located on the Alaskan Kenai Peninsula, has been chosen as a test site for the prototyping and testing of a new UAS bridge inspection system. The desired final inspection product guided the design and operation of the UAS. The research team emphasized a data-driven approach in developing the UAS and its associated inspection protocols. Goals included providing high-resolution scans of the bridge capable of detecting a variety of damage indicators, and producing a 3D virtual model of the bridge using Structure-from-Motion. The resulting designs of both the UAS and the inspection protocols are presented herein. The results indicate that such a data-driven approach can lead to UAS inspection systems that are more capable of meeting the needs of bridge asset managers and inspectors.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784479117.053
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780784479117
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

  1801 Alexander Bell Drive
  Reston, VA  United States  20191-4400
• Authors:
  • Cunningham, K
  • Lattanzi, D
  • Dell’Andrea, R
  • Riley, M
  • Huette, T
  • Goetz, R
  • Wilson, R
• Conference:
  • Structures Congress 2015
  • Location: Portland Oregon, United States
  • Date: 2015-4-23 to 2015-4-25
• Publication Date: 2015-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Pagination: pp 607-615
• Monograph Title: Structures Congress 2015

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridges; Drones; Inspection; Prototype tests; Trails
• Candidate Terms: Imaging systems
• Identifier Terms: Placer River Trail Bridge
• Geographic Terms: Kenai (Alaska)
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Maintenance and Preservation; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01561794
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780784479117
• Files: TRIS, ASCE
• Created Date: Apr 27 2015 5:10PM