Design and implementation of an integrated operations and preservation performance monitoring system for asset management of major bridges

A cross-disciplinary group of researchers at Drexel University, spanning several generations, disciplines and departments, has taken a holistic approach to infrastructure research and education. Specifically, the Drexel research team is exploring the development of a comprehensive maintenance and management plan for movable bridges. This includes the transformation of state of the art inspection protocols that leverage expert knowledge, past events and existing standards, manuals and recommendations. Drexel researchers are also investigating Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) strategies and their potential implementation on robotic platforms for automated assessment and evaluation of infrastructures to augment the inspection process. Thanks to the foresight of a regional infrastructure owner in the Greater Philadelphia Area, the described initiatives are allowing the rigorous implementation of technology on real, complex systems. Furthermore, many of these research efforts will be integrated into existing courses at Drexel University where students will be exposed to real life living infrastructures.