Major accidents occurring due to undetected cracks and damages in aging infrastructures are increasingly becoming common in many countries. This is either due to authorities’ negligence or efficiency of engineers or the cumbersome onsite inspection units. What ever, the results are always devastating. To bring relief both to the traffic and the engineers, a team of MIT engineers have developed a new technique capable of detecting damage in concrete bridges and piers effectively. Interestingly, the new technology is a hand-held radar device that not only makes onsite inspections easier, but also can be done more frequently without interfering with traffic or service. Thus, it can make easier for engineers to help increase the safety of aging infrastructures. The ‘radar device’ can “see” through fiberglass-polymer wrappings, commonly used to strengthen aging concrete columns. Thus, detecting damage behind the wrappings, not visible to the naked eye, is made easy. To add to the convenience of the engineers, the device can do its job onsite, well from a distance of more than 10 meters! It does not even require dismantling or obstruction of the infrastructure, providing immediate, onsite feedbacks. Image
Handheld radar ‘sees through’ concrete bridge-and-pier-damages from a distance
Posted February 6th, 2012 by admin