Bridge Deck Condition Data Collection Using Small Unmanned Aircraft System (S-UAS)

As one important component of bridge inspection, bridge deck inspection ensures the serviceability and safety of everything above, on, and in bridge decks. Traditionally, bridge deck inspection is performed on the ground by having inspectors either visually inspect surface conditions or interpret the acoustic feedback from hammer sounding or chain dragging to determine subsurface conditions. These traditional methods have many limitations, including but not limited to, expensive, labor-intensive, time-consuming, requiring specialized staff on a regular basis, and unsafe. Recent advancements in remote sensing, especially small-unmanned aircraft systems (S-UAS) based airborne imaging techniques and object based image analysis techniques, have shown promise in improving bridge deck inspection. This project explored the utility of S-UAS based airborne imaging techniques and structure-from-motion techniques in developing a data acquisition system to accurately and rapidly collect bridge deck wearing surface and subsurface distress condition data at a low cost.