NTH Consultants
Contact Us
  • Home
  • Markets
    • Energy Market
    • Industry Market
    • Water Market
    • Transportation
    • Community Development
  • Services
    • Geotechnical Engineering >
      • Geophysical Services
      • Mapping
      • Shoreline Services
      • Civil Site Engineering and Design
      • Construction Materials & Geotechnical Testing Services
      • Electric Substation Services
      • Geotechnical Engineering for Transportation Facilities
      • Underground Engineering Services
      • Subsurface Utility
      • Signature Projects
    • Environmental Services >
      • PFAS
      • Ecological Services
      • Environmental Health Services
      • Environmental Remediation Services
      • Environmental Compliance
      • Environmental Permitting
      • Environmental Site Assessments
      • Ecological Services for the Energy Market
      • Air Quality Permitting and Compliance
      • Brownfield Site Redevelopment
      • Environmental, Health & Safety Training for Employee Development
      • Hydrogeologic Studies
      • Landfill Related Services
      • Site Acquisition and Redevelopment
      • Storage Tank Services
      • Signature Projects
    • Facilities Engineering >
      • Decommissioning
      • Structural Condition Assessment Rehab
      • Bridge Engineering Services
      • Asset Management Services
      • Concrete Restoration
      • GIS Services
      • Masonry Evaluation Services
      • Pavement Engineering and Consulting
      • Roofing Technology Services
      • Structural Condition Assessment
      • Signature Projects
  • Projects
  • About Us
    • Mission + Core Values
    • Leadership
    • News and Events
    • Employee Portal
  • Webinars
    • Emergency Actions Plans Webinar
    • Challenges of Stormwater Management
  • Careers
    • Why Join NTH
    • Who We Are
    • Career Opportunities
    • NTH Internship Program
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Infrared Condition Assessment of Bridge Decks and Roadways

5/12/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
​Recently an article by Steve Nielsen at WPRI, Experts testing X-ray technology that could identify infrastructure damage, discussed "a two-part system that sees through concrete using infrared thermography and ground penetrating radar." Dr. Nicole Martino, an engineering professor at Roger Williams University who is working with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, was interviewed for the article. He stated that the difficulty with identifying failures in concrete on bridges is that they are often invisible. Using this new technology, engineers can essentially take an X-ray of the bridge which allows workers to see where the damage lies and where work needs to be done. They estimate that this could save millions in time and money. 

According to Dr. Dawson, this infrared technology is a great way to obtain detailed information on bridge deck conditions that cannot be observed through traditional methods. The technologies rely on differences in the heating rates and density of damaged versus intact concrete structures to identify and quantify potentially damaged areas. The use of infrared thermography and ground penetrating radar on bridge decks is relatively fast and can be performed without having to close lanes to traffic along the bridge.
 
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has performed similar inspections on bridges in the Metro and Southwest Regions over the past few years. Infrasense, a Massachusetts based firm, and NTH have performed such inspections on more than 60 bridges along I-75, I-94, I-69, US-131, and other major roadways. The results have supported the selection of cost-effective rehabilitation and maintenance solutions to enhance the longevity of the bridge decks.

1 Comment
Hailey Miller link
6/12/2021 02:21:07 am

It really helped when you said that ground-penetrating radar on bridge decks is quick and can be performed without closing the road to traffic. As you said, this can help identify failures in concrete that are often invisible. I guess any type of industry will benefit from using underground utility locator services to minimize the risk of causing property damage and endangering lives during invasive work.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    The NTH Narrator

    NTH Consultants, Ltd. (NTH) is a nationally recognized engineering firm specializing in Civil, Geotechnical, Environmental, and Facilities Engineering. 

    On our blog, our engineering experts address current news and events in our field, review new projects and highlight NTH news.

    Tweets by @nthconsultants

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015