Inspection of reinforced concrete structures by autonomous umbilical free robot (SIRCAUR)

The corrosion of materials and structures costs ~ 3.5% pa of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and Reinforced Concrete (R/C) causes 8% of this bill, ~ £158bnpa, £8bnpa in the UK. Therefore, imrpoving R/C structural inspection will lead to a large reduction in repair costs, can make a significant positive impact on the global economy. Currently R/C inspection is carried out manually by a person positioned on expensive scaffolding or by abseiling, with this comes a high saftey risk. The partners will address these problems by developing a prototype R/C climbing robot that (i) deploys a precision non contact GPR sensor for the detection of rebar and concrete corrosion and related defects, with 100% volume coverage and no scaffolding or abseiling. (ii) Is umbilical free, enabling climbing to unlimited heights (iii) Works autonomously in GPS/UWB controlled trajectories, adjustable by GPR sensor feedback for avoidance of rebar-poor regions (iv) Transfers NDT data by wirelss link to a ground based CPU. (v) Is fail-safe and easily recoverable.