Automated Survey of Pavement Distress Based on 2D and 3D Laser Images

Despite numerous efforts in recent decades, most information on pavement surface distresses cannot be obtained automatically, at high-speed, or at acceptable precision and bias levels. This research provided seed funding to produce a functional prototype, and the research team developed a prototype with line lasers and 3D cameras that overcame many existing limitations. The prototype has the capability of obtaining 3D pavement surface models at true 1mm resolution with full-lane coverage, and is capable of conducting real-time analysis on rutting and cracking.