| Abstract |
During this CRADA, Honeywell FM and T and MoDOT personnel designed a unique scanning system (including both hardware and software) that can be used to perform an automated scan and evaluation of a concrete sample. The specific goals of the CRADA were: (1) Develop a combined system integration, image acquisition, and image analysis approach to mimic the manual scanning and evaluation process. Produce a prototype system which can: (a) automate the scanning process to improve its speed and efficiency; (b) reduce operator fatigue; and (c) improve the consistency of the evaluation process. (2) Capture and preserve the baseline knowledge used by the MoDOT experts in performing the evaluation process. At the present time, the evaluation expertise resides in two MoDOT personnel. Automation of the evaluation process will allow that knowledge to be captured, preserved, and used for training purposes. (3) Develop an approach for the image analysis which is flexible and extensible in order to accommodate the inevitable pathologies that arise in the evaluation process. Such pathologies include features such as cracks and fissures, voids filled with paste or debris, and multiple, overlapping voids. FM and T personnel used image processing, pattern recognition, and system integration skills developed for other Department of Energy applications to develop and test a prototype of an automated scanning system for concrete evaluation. MoDOT personnel provided all the basic hardware (microscope, camera, computer-controlled stage, etc.) for the prototype, supported FM and T in the acquisition of image data for software development, and provided their critical expert knowledge of the process of concrete evaluation. This combination of expertise was vital to the successful development of the prototype system. |
