Autonomous Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement of Steel Bridge Members Using a Climbing Bicycle Robot
Publication: Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 149, Issue 8
Abstract
This paper presents the development of a steel-climbing bicycle robot integrated with an ultrasonic sensing device towards autonomous thickness measurement of steel bridge members. The bicycle-like robot has two magnetic wheels controlled by two independent steering actuators, which navigates on various steel surfaces (flat, curved, rough, concave, and convex). The compact ultrasonic sensing device is capable of high-voltage pulse excitation, filtering/amplification of the received ultrasonic signal, and high-speed analog-to-digital conversions (up to 80 MHz). Along with the ultrasonic sensing device, the robot carries a dual element transducer, an automatic gel couplant dispenser, a position tracking sensor, and a camera. A mounting/retrieving mechanism of the transducer is designed to ensure the reliable contact of the transducer on steel surfaces. The camera view assists an operator to safely navigate the robot to measurement locations, properly dispense gel couplant, and firmly press the transducer on a measurement surface. The automated robot localization provides accurate thickness measurement locations, which are mapped real-time in three-dimensional (3D) space together with the robot’s travel path. We validate the performance of the developed system in several indoor and outdoor tests. Weblink to a supplementary video demonstrating the robot’s maneuverability and ultrasonic thickness measurements is available in the Data Availability Statement of this article.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Video demonstrating the robot’s maneuverability and ultrasonic thickness measurements is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aCt0BZnxKVc.
Acknowledgments
This research is partially funded by (1) the US Department of Transportation, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (USDOT/OST-R) under Grant No. 69A3551747126 through INSPIRE University Transportation Center at Missouri University of Science and Technology; and (2) the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT RP22-02). The first author received scholarship support from the Nakajima Foundation. The authors would like to thank Chuong Le at the University of Nevada, Reno for his software supports. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the sponsors.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 149 • Issue 8 • August 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 3, 2022
Accepted: Apr 2, 2023
Published online: Jun 7, 2023
Published in print: Aug 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Nov 7, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Automation and robotics
- Bicycles
- Bridge engineering
- Bridges
- Bridges (by material)
- Cameras
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Equipment and machinery
- Field tests
- Highway transportation
- Infrastructure
- Material mechanics
- Material properties
- Materials engineering
- Measurement (by type)
- Metals (material)
- Nondestructive tests
- Sensors and sensing
- Steel
- Steel bridges
- Structural engineering
- Systems engineering
- Tests (by type)
- Thickness
- Transportation engineering
- Vehicles
- Wood bridges
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