Automated thermal spray system (ATSS) for infrastructure rehabilitation and maintenance

In recent years, infrastructure maintenance has become an increasingly costly endeavor, due to the deteriorating state of America`s transportation infrastructure. With many such structures reaching over half a century of continuous use, a comprehensive restoration effort is needed in order to prevent further structural deterioration and failure. The cost of such an effort is estimated at billions of dollars and therefore constitutes a severe budget burden on the Nation`s resources. Repair crews face a difficult, physically demanding and hazardous task in repairing and maintaining such structures. This has prompted the design of an automated system that combines three separate tools and affords work crews the ability to prepare and coat bridge surfaces from the relative safety of the ground. The operation of an automated thermal spray system and the components involved are described in their application in infrastructure maintenance and repair.