 The KY 90 bridge is a large truss spanning the Cumberland River. A drone was used to capture this photograph of one of the piers. Fun fact: this is a special type of bridge that requires a “hands-on” inspection. Other methods, in addition to UAS, were used during this inspection such as a snooper truck and rope access.
By Katherine Edmunds, Engineer in Training II
An Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), also known as a drone, is an aircraft that is not operated with a pilot on board, but by a pilot on the ground. That’s right! Drones are operated with a controller by a person who has been certified by the FAA and follows rules to keep the drone, bystanders and other surroundings safe.
Drones are used in many different occupations such as farming, search and rescue operations, photography and even engineering. At the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, drones have different uses—one of which is to supplement bridge inspections. Kentucky has about 14,500 bridges, all of which are inspected to ensure they are safe for the travelling public. In addition to common tools, such as ladders and hammers, bridge inspectors use other tools like waders for walking through water, kayaks for paddling through water that is too deep to walk, and drones for seeing bridge components that are too high to see from the ground. Flying a drone allows bridge inspectors to see the bridge up close and look for any structural concerns. Drones are a great access method for bridges that span over deep water or have piers in the in the middle of a body of water. These “hard-to-reach” places are much easier to see when using drones!
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Drones can also take high quality photos and videos that are great for documenting parts of the bridge as well as the bridge’s orientation. A great way to do this it to take an aerial photograph. Aerial photography captures the top of the bridge deck and captures the condition of the stream that the bridge spans. Sometimes these photos are used to monitor drift piles or other changes in the stream’s stability that could adversely affect the bridge. The drone’s controller features a large screen so the pilot can see what they are taking pictures of, and adjust the camera or drone positioning as needed. These photos can be exported to a computer or smartphone and are used in reporting bridge conditions. |
 Eggner’s Ferry is a basket arch spanning Kentucky Lake. A snooper truck is shown inspecting floor beam and stringer components and was documented with a drone.
Another common use of drones during a bridge inspection is to document when snooper trucks or rope access methods are used. Rope access is a method of bridge inspection that uses ropes and harnesses to climb a structure and look for any defects. Drones supplement these inspections by taking bridge aerial and profile photos while also being available to capture footage of KYTC’s climb team, many of whom are pilots, too!
Drone uses for bridge inspection include accessing hard-to-reach places, seeing bridge components close-up, capturing bridges views that are otherwise impossible to see and documenting other common inspection methods. Drones are a supplemental tool that provides quick reconnaissance and help in ensuring all of Kentucky’s bridges are safe for you, me, and everyone in the Commonwealth to cross.
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By Mark Faulhaber
My name is Mark Faulhaber. I am a licensed professional engineer for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), and I have been working here for 18 years. Of course, I wasn’t always an engineer. In the 1960’s, I was growing up on a farm in Pendleton County. I was always interested in science and technology and my favorite subject in high school was drafting.
While I loved science and technology subjects in school, there were two challenges that could keep me from a career in engineering. First, I learned early that life can be tough, and I didn’t really see a path off the farm.
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It was also clear that my family and I could not afford college without help. The Scholarship program solved both of these challenges.
I joined the scholarship program back in 1973. This program offers a summer job which was exposed me early to practical engineering experience in real life. The program helped me with college expenses, so I went to the University of Kentucky (UK). In my senior year at UK, I met John Bridwell, a professional engineer and KYTC scholarship student. John was the director of the Technical Computing Division of KYTC. I’d become very proficient with programming at UK and Technical Computing was a perfect fit for me. John and I wrote programs for other engineers to use. The programs did engineering design calculations, plotted drafting documents and did estimations.
I became a proud graduate of UK in 1977 and joined KYTC in May.
My KYTC career has been so beneficial to my life. My most rewarding experiences includes many good people and opportunities to work with them. I've had great a achievements along the way. An example of one of those achievements includes writing the first bid program that estimates the cost of construction job items based on past bids. Over the past 14 years, I’ve supported programs used to keep the bridge inventory and schedule safety inspections, and another program that tracks all construction activities.
I like to joke that while I was out hoeing tobacco, those yellow Highway Department trucks driving by looked pretty good. Truth be told, those people are amazing, building the future of Kentucky. I am proud to work alongside them; perhaps you would too. |
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