Practical issues on the use of drones for construction inspections

Abstract

The aging and deterioration of structures such as bridges or buildings is becoming an urgent social issue; regular inspections for the preservation of the structures are needed, but it means high cost especially in terms of safety for workers due to the difficulty to access. Visual inspection of workers can be replaced by using basic drones, which share many advantages such as speed, safety for the workers, cost-effectiveness, share-ability with more stakeholders instantly and manoeuvrability by making use of automated flights. A visual inspection made by drone is the first part of a complex survey campaign, and its use allows planning experimental investigation for diagnostic. This study analyses both the positive and negative aspects of the use of drones for structural inspection, underlying the low cost, immediacy, instant measurement and the possibility of developing a 3D model, with an acceptable level of definition and reliable for a diagnostic process. Two application examples are proposed.