A CONCEPT OF AN AUTOMATED DAMAGE MANAGEMENT FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF BRIDGE STRUCTURES AS A LIFE CYCLE ORIENTED APPROACH

Abstract

Despite the optimization of maintenance processes through digitalization, the inspection processes of bridges to determine damages are still analog. At the same time, damage data records are not organized and in a transparent and consistent manner so that all project participants can access and exchange the data interoperable. By combining innovative technologies and using open data exchange formats, this paper presents an approach that further optimizes and automates the process chain for damage management in the maintenance of bridge structures. In this context, a Cloud Computing system (CCS) serves as a central data hub for comprehensive and consistent storage and management of damage related data. A Common Data Environment (CDE) with an integrated digital building model, a damage library and an artificial intelligence (AI) module are implemented in the CSS. The concept exclusively uses open exchange formats to further integrate all project participants while improving collaboration in the maintenance phase and ensuring interoperability. In addition, robotics and artificial intelligence are used to automate the process chain of damage capturing and evaluation. In this paper, the above aspects are highlighted and a concept for an automated damage management for the maintenance phase of bridge structures using walking robots and digital models is developed and realized as a mock-up.