This paper discusses the role of visual inspections in the UK highways bridge inspection regime, and how current practice results in inspection data that are less reliable than they could, and should, be. Evidence that visual inspections in general are not totally reliable is discussed. Similar problems have been overcome in other areas, such as pavement inspection, by using technological aids during the data collection and inspection process. It is hoped that better bridge condition data could be obtained by making use of technology to assist the visual inspection process on bridges. Some of the ways in which images could be recorded to make the inspection process more reliable and reproducible are discussed, and a prototype system that has been developed with the aim of providing a full, high-resolution image record of the visual condition of a bridge, which is suitable for use, is presented.
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September 2015
Research Article|
November 24 2014
Can technology improve routine visual bridge inspections?
Stuart G. McRobbie, MSc, CPhys;
Stuart G. McRobbie, MSc, CPhys
Researcher
Technology Development, TRL, Wokingham, UK; PhD Student, School of Civil Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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M. Alex Wright, BSc, PhD, CPhys;
M. Alex Wright, BSc, PhD, CPhys
Group Manager
Technology Development, TRL, Wokingham, UK
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Andrew Chan, EurIng, MPhil, PhD, MBCS, CEng, FEANI, FHEA
Andrew Chan, EurIng, MPhil, PhD, MBCS, CEng, FEANI, FHEA
Professor
School of Civil Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; now Deputy Dean of Information Technology and Engineering, Federation University, Australia
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Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Received:
September 19 2012
Accepted:
October 10 2014
Online ISSN: 1751-7664
Print ISSN: 1478-4637
ICE Publishing: All rights reserved
2015
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Bridge Engineering (2015) 168 (3): 197–207.
Article history
Received:
September 19 2012
Accepted:
October 10 2014
Citation
McRobbie SG, Wright MA, Chan A (2015), "Can technology improve routine visual bridge inspections?". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Bridge Engineering, Vol. 168 No. 3 pp. 197–207, doi: https://doi.org/10.1680/jbren.12.00022
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