Abstract
Large structures and high-value assets require inspection and integrity assessment methodologies that ensure maximum availability and operational capabilities. Large membranes are used as floating covers at the anaerobic wastewater lagoons of Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant (WTP). A critical function of this high-value asset pertains to the harnessing of the biogas gas generated at these lagoons as well as protecting the environment from the release of odours and greenhouse gases. Therefore, a proactive inspection and efficient management strategy are required to ensure these expensive covers’ integrity and continued operation. Not only is identifying the state of stress on the floating cover crucial for its structural integrity assessment, but the development of rapid and non-contact inspections will significantly assist in determining the “real-life” performance of the cover for superior maintenance management. This study investigates a strain determination method for WTP floating cover which integrates unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted photogrammetry with finite element analyses to determine the structural integrity of these covers. Collective aerial images were compiled to form 3D digital models of the deformed cover specimens, which were then employed in computational and statistical analyses to assess and predict the strain of the cover. The findings complement the future implementation of UAV-assisted aerial photogrammetry for structural health assessment of the large floating covers.
Highlights
Membrane covers are commonly used as floating covers for clean water reservoirs to prevent evaporation and pollution; for landfills to trap hazardous chemicals and unpleasant odour; and for tailing impoundment [1,2,3]
A single camera mounted on a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based photogrammetry system is deployed as a wide coverage non-contact measurement diagnostic tool to monitor the state of deformation of the Western Treatment Plant (WTP) membrane covers
This paper introduces a strain determination method proposed for WTP floating cover and the UAV photogrammetry deployment and its general application for large structures are briefly discussed
Summary
Membrane covers are commonly used as floating covers for clean water reservoirs to prevent evaporation and pollution; for landfills to trap hazardous chemicals and unpleasant odour; and for tailing impoundment [1,2,3]. Luo et al [21] have investigated the concept of using photogrammetry to measure strain fields of deformed large inflatable structures by combining Delaunay triangulation and finite element methods. Despite the advantages in UAV photogrammetry, it is limited by its relatively short flight time and long computational processing due to a significantly large dataset In this collaborative project, a single camera mounted on a UAV-based photogrammetry system is deployed as a wide coverage non-contact measurement diagnostic tool to monitor the state of deformation of the WTP membrane covers. One of the research project objectives is to devise a two-stage global-local monitoring strategy where UAV photogrammetry monitoring is first deployed to rapidly evaluate the global strain response of the cover, thereby identifying critical areas where, subsequentially, a localised-detailed inspection is conducted for further quantitative assessment This two-stage strategy aims to significantly reduce time and cost for inspection of the entire cover and mitigates workers’ exposure to a high-risk environment. (35 mm formFaOt eVqu81iv.9aole2n5tm) fm/2.6 (35GmPmS/GfoLrOmNatAeSqSuivalent) f/2.6 1G5PmSi/nGLONASS
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