University of Buffalo scientists have developed a method to detect bridge corrosion using an electric shock sent through the steel cables of a bridge. The presence of corrosion would be detected immediately by a decrease in the charge strength.
The technique was tested using piezoelectric transducers connected to either end of a wire before a single volt of electricity was sent through the wire using ultrasonic guided waves. The wire was then submerged in salt water to rust it and the process was repeated to see the amount of charge that was lost due to the damage to the wire. Implementing this method to real world bridges, engineers will only need to attach sensors and transducers to bridge cables and do not need to be on site to perform the testing. This new method allows for remote, off-site testing.
Read more about this new technique of testing bridge corrosion.
