I-Corps: Commercialization of scour monitoring systems

研究人员正在研究一种24/7检测桥梁冲刷的技术。该系统利用传感器技术的进步，提供具有成本效益的桥梁冲刷早期检测和避免桥梁故障和相关成本的方法。冲刷传感技术使用埋在桥梁基础周围土壤中的磁致伸缩流量传感器。随着冲刷的发展和土壤开始侵蚀，传感器被激活，能够检测水流，并自动提醒桥梁所有者需要修复。在NSF的支持下，对宏观尺度和纳米尺度磁致伸缩流体传感器进行了研究，这是先进的流量传感器系统的基础，该系统可用于对桥梁冲刷进行可靠和连续的检测。冲刷监测是联邦政府规定的定期桥梁检查的一部分，但通常桥梁所有者没有足够的人力每一两年检查一次以上的整个桥梁库存。因此，冲刷可能长时间未被发现，并发展成非常昂贵甚至危及生命的问题。候选冲刷检测系统既可以提高公共安全，又可以节省桥梁业主的成本。这是因为早期冲刷检测可以显著降低维修成本，在冲刷严重的情况下，维修成本可能涉及整个桥梁更换的成本。一座经历或面临中度冲刷风险的桥梁可能会被关闭，从而对周围社区造成重大经济影响。通常，解决中度至严重冲刷的方法是以相当大的成本更换原本完好的桥梁。早期冲刷的修复费用为几千美元，但后期冲刷的修复费用为几十万美元，如果桥梁需要更换，则为数百万美元。

Researchers are working on a technology for 24/7 detection of bridge scour. The system leverages advances in sensor technologies to provide cost-effective early detection of bridge scour and the means to avoid bridge failure and associated costs. The scour sensing technology uses magnetostrictive flow sensors that are buried in the soil around bridge foundations. As scour develops and the soil begins to erode, the sensors are activated and able to detect water flow and automatically alert the bridge owner that remediation is needed. The macroscale and nanoscale magnetostrictive fluidic sensors investigated with prior NSF support are the basis for the advanced flow sensors system that is being used to provide robust and continuous detection of bridge scour.Scour monitoring is a federally mandated part of regular bridge inspections but often bridge owners do not have sufficient manpower to inspect their entire bridge inventories more than once every year or two. Scour can thus go undetected for long periods of time and develop into very costly and even life threatening problems. The candidate scour detection system could both improve public safety and save costs to the owners of bridges. This is because the early scour detection can significantly reduce repair costs, which in cases of advanced scour, can involve the cost of a complete bridge replacement. A bridge experiencing or at risk of even moderate scour may be closed resulting in a significant economic impact on the surrounding communities. Often the solution to moderate to severe scour is replacement of an otherwise sound bridge at a significant cost. Early scour can be repaired at a cost of a few thousand dollars but late stage scour can cost a few hundred thousand to repair or millions if the bridge needs to be replaced.