Multi-modal remote sensing system for transportation infrastructure inspection and monitoring

Abstract

Managing the growing population of deteriorated transportation infrastructure systems (i.e. highway bridges) and being able to accurately inspect them in a timely and cost effective manner is a major societal challenge within the United States today. A multi-modal remote sensing system (MRSS) that will be used as the next generation of rapid, distant, interrogation technology for bridge inspection is proposed. In the proposed MRSS technology, advantages of nondestructive testing (local inspection) and structural health monitoring (global, continuous monitoring) are combined by using continuous wave imaging radar (CWIR), digital image correlation (DIC), and fiber optic sensors (FOS). MRSS represents the next-generation of portable bridge inspection technology for efficient inspection, evaluation and rating of bridges. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.