Bridges and road infrastructure are crucial to the functioning of all countries, but are they receiving the attention they deserve?
There have been many other reports of bridge failures around the world, including the incident in Genoa, Italy where 43 people died as a result of a bridge collapsing in 2018. And another in Italy in April 2020, where a concrete and steel bridge collapsed in a normally busy residential area. Luckily due to the coronavirus lockdown, there was little traffic traveling on the bridge at the time.
Whether due to decimating funds or priorities in other areas, it’s clear that a problem exists, even in the most developed countries around the globe.
Of course, when we talk about bridges and roads it’s not just the structural damage, but the high value at risk when these assets deteriorate.
Transportation, oil and gas, energy and power, commuting, and most importantly the safety of lives are put at risk if corrosion, decay, or cracks are not dealt with in a timely manner.
Before we look at what can be done to improve the safety of our bridges and road infrastructure, let’s consider some of the problems that are currently faced from an inspection and maintenance standpoint.
1. Traditional methods of concrete strength testing, metal inspection, and road infrastructure evaluations can be time consuming, costly, and destructive.
2. There may also be subsurface areas that are tightly congested, typically requiring more specialists and more expensive equipment to test.
3. It is not uncommon for the data from past inspections to have been lost over time, leaving little comparable historical data to make future predictions.
As we have seen, detecting and repairing defects in good time could save lives and billions of dollars in asset value. Without bridge and road safety inspectors, our cities could quite literally be in ruins.
So, to improve the safety of bridges and road infrastructure, we must start by improving methods of inspection to make it less time consuming, less destructive, and more cost efficient. Furthermore, making the data for each inspection accessible at any point in time.
Providing solutions to these exact problems is why Screening Eagle Technologies are global leaders of infrastructure inspection tech.
The lifecycle of the asset and infrastructure is monitored using predictive healthcare tools, powered by data from intelligent and autonomous inspection. The data from each inspection is then stored securely on the cloud and accessible to team members and stake holders anywhere.
For the first time, the tools needed to achieve accurate concrete, metal, and road safety inspections are intuitive and more cost effective. With less specialists on the ground and a more streamlined workflow, inspection times are now dramatically reduced.
· Advanced sensors for inspection and defect detection in concrete and metal.
· Powerful software for data visualization and sharing.
· Predictive maintenance tools for asset lifecycle management.
These non-destructive methods use full frequency ground penetrating radar and ultrasonic pulse echo detectors to see even the deepest subsurface objects and defects. The sensors connect wirelessly to any off-the-shelf iPad and collect the data in real-time.
Through the tablet, you can create a digital twin of the asset, view underground infrastructure with augmented reality, collect full 3D visualization data, and so much more. All without post-processing time back at the office. Reports can be created and shared seamlessly within one platform.
With these tools, we can improve the safety of bridges and road infrastructure, maintain the health of assets, and make more informed decisions.
Visit our Inspection Space for more information on ultrasonics, GPR, concrete strength testing, and other related topics.