Using UAS for Roofs Structure Inspections at Post-occupational Residential Buildings

Abstract

The traditional roof inspection tends to be a slow and challenging task, mainly due to accessibility limitations and the risk of falls from height. In recent years, the adoption of new technologies, such as the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to support the inspection process has proven to be an effective option to overcome such problems. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the use of UAS for roof inspection on post-occupation residential buildings, seeking to assist in the decision-making process. The research method adopted was the case study, structured in the following steps: (a) evaluation of items that can be viewed with UAS, (b) protocol for flight planning and data collection with UAS, (c) analysis of non-compliance checking of roof conditions, and (d) evaluation of users’ perceptions concerning the usability of UAS to support roof inspection. A total of 10 residential projects of a large construction company were inspected, totalizing 167 roofs. The analysis of the visualization potential shows that 72% of the requirements contained in the construction company’s checklist can be inspected with the UAS. Besides that, 50,5% of the non-conformities identified are related to poor execution during the construction phase, highlighting the need for improvements. According to the maintenance team’s perceptions, the UAS can contribute to increase worker safety, reduce time and effort during the data collection process, and assist in the identification of non-conformities.