FOCUS ON INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATIONS

System will help prioritize maintenance

Suyun Ham, civil engineering associate professor, is developing an Automatic Crack Evaluation (ACE) system using non-contact sensing that has the potential to save time and money by helping states and cities prioritize maintenance for roads, bridges, and runways.

“The ACE system will function similarly to a rapid sonogram for bridges and pavement,” Dr. Ham says. “It will identify internal cracks, which are often invisible to the naked eye, without requiring lane closures on a highway. The ACE system employs a wave-scattering theory approach to determine the severity and location of internal cracks.”

The wave-scattering method involves sending stress waves through the structure and pavement to determine the severity of internal cracks and their locations. This aids in constructing digital images that can provide real-time insights into the condition of bridges and help identify potential issues before they become significant, thus improving safety, reducing costs, and optimizing maintenance.