Abstract

This project proposed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based method to measure the change in magnetic field as a result of the movement of a smart rock to monitor the maximum depth of bridge scour. A high resolution 3-axis magnetometer and global positioning system (GPS) unit were installed on the UAV to obtain the magnetic field intensity and its corresponding coordinate. The optimization algorithm for the localization of smart rock was demonstrated and adopted. The impact factors on accurate smart rock positioning were experimentally investigated. Utilizing finite element method, the influence of steel reinforcing bars on the distribution of ambient magnetic field was demonstrated, which agree well with experimental results. The UAV-based smart rock technology was implemented at the Roubidoux Creek Bridge and tested for six times since January 24, 2018. The overall smart rock positioning error, compared with ground truth (survey) data, is less than 0.5 m, even during a flood event. The performance of proposed method was compared favorably with the conventional crane-based positioning method.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Research Center/Lab(s)

INSPIRE - University Transportation Center

Sponsor(s)

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590

Comments

Principal Investigator: Genda Chen

Grant #: USDOT # 69A3551747126

Grant Period: 11/30/2016 - 09/30/2024

Project Period: 03/01/2017 - 04/31/2020

The investigation was conducted under the auspices of the INSPIRE University Transportation Center.

Keywords and Phrases

Bridge, Stability, Scour, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Smart Rocks

Report Number

INSPIRE-002

Document Type

Technical Report

Document Version

Final Version

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2025 Missouri University of Science and Technology, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

April 30, 2020

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