In partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the University of Alaska–Fairbanks, Assistant Professor Dave Lattanzi’s (below) research team has been fortunate enough to work on inspecting the beautiful Placer River Bridge (right) using unmanned aerial vehicles.
Engineering Safer Bridge Inspections Civil engineering professor David Lattanzi was inspecting a bridge several years ago in his hometown of Pittsburgh when a drunk driver sped past “lane closed ahead” signs and slammed into the fnal sign—a giant fashing, lighted arrow—the only barrier remaining between Lattanzi and the driver. Te driver walked away from the crash, but Lattanzi and his crew were left shaken. “I’ve almost gotten killed on the job three times,” he says. “Inspecting bridges is really dangerous for humans, and we don’t get good results.” He knew there had to be a better way. It’s no secret that the nation’s infrastructure is crumbling. Inspecting bridges is hazardous, expensive, and well behind schedule. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) inspections are more efcient—about 10 percent of the traditional cost—and ofer more exact comparisons from inspection to inspection, Lattanzi says. Last summer the U.S. Forest Service, which manages 7,500 bridges—more than any other organization in the United
24 VOLGENAU SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
