Needs for regular inspection

Infrastructure installations need to comply with safety standards but should also be economically efficient. To achieve both goals it is necessary that they are regularly monitored, maintained, repaired and renewed. One of the most common methods of monitoring is visual inspection for which trained staff  is needed. It consists of checking for fissures, corrosion, frost damage, sintering etc., documenting the damage and compiling a report. The data are then used to update lifecycle performance calculations.

Integrated inspection

In several sub-projects an application for an integrated bridge inspection via tablet or smartphone is developed and tested. Damage is recorded, then the data are transmitted and analysed (evaluating the state of affairs, forecasting, determine maintenance activities). Complementing this is the novel approach of an integrated lifecycle analysis. Normalised performance indicators of efficiency, social aspects and environmental aspects are multiplied with appropriate weighing factors to determine how the lifecycle of railway bridges and the rail track can be managed as one integrated system. This is achieved via the developing of realistic models and the conducting of an exemplary life-cycle analysis.

The high degree of innovation and practical relevance of the project resulted in a nomination for Lower Austria’s innovation price 2016.