Robot-Assisted Underwater Acoustic Imaging For Bridge Scour Evaluation
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Description
Scour is responsible for more than half of the bridges that collapsed in the U.S. over the past four decades. In recent years, the smart rock technology has been developed and validated in field conditions to estimate the maximum depth of a scour hole that has ever been formed around a bridge pier. With a cylindrical magnet (N42), the most sensitive and reliable measurement distance for each smart rock ranges from 1.5 m to 7.5 m. This measurement distance is insufficient in flood seasons when water level reaches to a high elevation. This project aims to develop an underwater acoustic imaging and water depth measuring system with a side-scan sonar and a digital precision altimeter.
A dual-chamber climbing robot that can carry a side-scan sonar or a digital precision altimeter will be prototyped and tested for maneuverability, stability, and functionality under various operation conditions in air or underwater. The technical specifications of an integrated system of the robot and sonar/altimeter will be developed based on laboratory tests. The field performance of the system at a bridge site will be documented in terms of the sensitivity and variability of the side-scan sonar and the digital precision altimeter in scour depth measurement, and stability and maneuverability of the climbing robot.
Presentation Date
10 Aug 2021, 3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Meeting Name
INSPIRE-UTC 2021 Annual Meeting
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Document Type
Presentation
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Robot-Assisted Underwater Acoustic Imaging For Bridge Scour Evaluation
Scour is responsible for more than half of the bridges that collapsed in the U.S. over the past four decades. In recent years, the smart rock technology has been developed and validated in field conditions to estimate the maximum depth of a scour hole that has ever been formed around a bridge pier. With a cylindrical magnet (N42), the most sensitive and reliable measurement distance for each smart rock ranges from 1.5 m to 7.5 m. This measurement distance is insufficient in flood seasons when water level reaches to a high elevation. This project aims to develop an underwater acoustic imaging and water depth measuring system with a side-scan sonar and a digital precision altimeter.
A dual-chamber climbing robot that can carry a side-scan sonar or a digital precision altimeter will be prototyped and tested for maneuverability, stability, and functionality under various operation conditions in air or underwater. The technical specifications of an integrated system of the robot and sonar/altimeter will be developed based on laboratory tests. The field performance of the system at a bridge site will be documented in terms of the sensitivity and variability of the side-scan sonar and the digital precision altimeter in scour depth measurement, and stability and maneuverability of the climbing robot.
