Remote Inspection of Bridges with the Integration of Scanning Total Station and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Data
Remote visual inspections are valuable tools for maintaining bridges in safe operation. In the case of old structures with incomplete documentation, the verification of dimensions is also an essential aspect. This paper presents an attempt to use a Scanning Total Station (STS) and Unmanned Aerial Ve...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/22/4176 |
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| author | Piotr Olaszek Edgar Maciejewski Anna Rakoczy Rafael Cabral Ricardo Santos Diogo Ribeiro |
| author_facet | Piotr Olaszek Edgar Maciejewski Anna Rakoczy Rafael Cabral Ricardo Santos Diogo Ribeiro |
| author_sort | Piotr Olaszek |
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| description | Remote visual inspections are valuable tools for maintaining bridges in safe operation. In the case of old structures with incomplete documentation, the verification of dimensions is also an essential aspect. This paper presents an attempt to use a Scanning Total Station (STS) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for the inspection and inventory of bridge dimensions. The STS’s measurements are conducted by applying two methods: the direct method using a total station (TS) and advanced geometric analyses of the collected point cloud. The UAV’s measurements use a Structure from Motion (SfM) method. Verification tests were conducted on a steel truss railway bridge over the largest river in Poland. The measurements concerned both the basic dimensions of the bridge and the details of a selected truss connection. The STS identified a significant deviation in the actual geometry of the measured connection and the design documentation. The UAV’s inspection confirmed these findings. The integration of STS and UAV technologies has demonstrated significant advantages, including STS’s high accuracy in direct measurements, with deviations within acceptable engineering tolerances (below a few mm), and the UAV’s efficiency in covering large areas, achieving over 90% compliance with reference dimensions. This combined approach not only reduces operating costs and enhances safety by minimizing the need for heavy machinery or scaffolding but also provides a more comprehensive understanding of the structural condition. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ef4a04b07b3c4102925af117c176f85c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj-art-ef4a04b07b3c4102925af117c176f85c2024-11-26T18:19:51ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922024-11-011622417610.3390/rs16224176Remote Inspection of Bridges with the Integration of Scanning Total Station and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle DataPiotr Olaszek0Edgar Maciejewski1Anna Rakoczy2Rafael Cabral3Ricardo Santos4Diogo Ribeiro5Road and Bridge Research Institute, ul. Instytutowa 1, 03-302 Warszaw, PolandFaculty of Civil Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, al. Armii Ludowej 16, 00-637 Warsaw, PolandFaculty of Civil Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, al. Armii Ludowej 16, 00-637 Warsaw, PolandCONSTRUCT-LESE, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Porto, R. Dr. Roberto Frias s/n, 4200-465 Porto, PortugalCONSTRUCT-LESE, Department of Civil Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto, R. Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida 431, 4249-015 Porto, PortugalCONSTRUCT-LESE, Department of Civil Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto, R. Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida 431, 4249-015 Porto, PortugalRemote visual inspections are valuable tools for maintaining bridges in safe operation. In the case of old structures with incomplete documentation, the verification of dimensions is also an essential aspect. This paper presents an attempt to use a Scanning Total Station (STS) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for the inspection and inventory of bridge dimensions. The STS’s measurements are conducted by applying two methods: the direct method using a total station (TS) and advanced geometric analyses of the collected point cloud. The UAV’s measurements use a Structure from Motion (SfM) method. Verification tests were conducted on a steel truss railway bridge over the largest river in Poland. The measurements concerned both the basic dimensions of the bridge and the details of a selected truss connection. The STS identified a significant deviation in the actual geometry of the measured connection and the design documentation. The UAV’s inspection confirmed these findings. The integration of STS and UAV technologies has demonstrated significant advantages, including STS’s high accuracy in direct measurements, with deviations within acceptable engineering tolerances (below a few mm), and the UAV’s efficiency in covering large areas, achieving over 90% compliance with reference dimensions. This combined approach not only reduces operating costs and enhances safety by minimizing the need for heavy machinery or scaffolding but also provides a more comprehensive understanding of the structural condition.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/22/4176visual inspectionsScanning Total Station (STS)Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)Structural Health Monitoring (SHM)damage identification |
| spellingShingle | Piotr Olaszek Edgar Maciejewski Anna Rakoczy Rafael Cabral Ricardo Santos Diogo Ribeiro Remote Inspection of Bridges with the Integration of Scanning Total Station and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Data Remote Sensing visual inspections Scanning Total Station (STS) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) damage identification |
| title | Remote Inspection of Bridges with the Integration of Scanning Total Station and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Data |
| title_full | Remote Inspection of Bridges with the Integration of Scanning Total Station and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Data |
| title_fullStr | Remote Inspection of Bridges with the Integration of Scanning Total Station and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Data |
| title_full_unstemmed | Remote Inspection of Bridges with the Integration of Scanning Total Station and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Data |
| title_short | Remote Inspection of Bridges with the Integration of Scanning Total Station and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Data |
| title_sort | remote inspection of bridges with the integration of scanning total station and unmanned aerial vehicle data |
| topic | visual inspections Scanning Total Station (STS) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) damage identification |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/22/4176 |
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