Given the aging condition of much of the nation’s navigation infrastructure, managers need accurate and real-time information on the conditions of such structures as locks, dams and bridges operating well beyond their expected design lives.
Inspecting these critical components can be expensive, time consuming and dangerous. However, the cost of doing nothing is much greater – as an easily repairable glitch can grow much larger if left unchecked, causing a catastrophic failure that closes key navigation routes, severely snarls supply chains and inflicts millions of dollars in economic losses.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is solving this challenge through a broad range of structural health monitoring (SHM) capabilities. It has developed sensors that serve as virtual eyes and ears, providing constant, real-time information on structural conditions.
SHM can warn of impending failure and provide an estimate of the remaining life and reliability of an infrastructure component or system.
Leading this research is Dr. Brian Eick, a research civil engineer with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Construction Engineering Research Laboratory and the technical lead and program manager of ERDC’s Structural Health Monitoring Program.
“[SHM] provides a clear line of sight from observation to deciding a plan of action,” Eick said. “We use sensors on the infrastructure to continuously and in real-time collect information about the health of the infrastructure that can then be used to make decisions.”
This effort paid large dividends in September 2009 when engineers monitoring senor data at The Dalles Lock and Dam on the Columbia River noticed large and unusual shifts involving one of the lock’s steel girders. Further investigation by a dive team discovered extensive cracking on the lower section of the gate. Authorities quickly initiated emergency repairs, preventing more significant damage that could have closed the lock for months or even years.
Today, Eick and his team are seeking new ways to make SHM faster, more dynamic, and as accurate as possible.