FORCE Technology has developed an up-to-date system for the monitoring of concrete constructions in bridges and metro tunnels. By this system Denmark will save millions of Kroner for maintenance and reduce passenger frustration.
Recent years’ investments in Danish infrastructure have now brought focus to the billions spent on professional maintenance of bridges and metro tunnels. Today modern technology offers solutions which can monitor the state of the concrete constructions and provide optimum reliability.
Technical difficulties
Unfortunately several technical barriers have often hindered the systems from being used to their optimum capacity. But now FORCE Technology has developed a monitoring system which overcomes the technical difficulties experienced so far and currently registers and documents the state of the concrete.
Compatible system
“Early on we set the target that we wanted to develop a complete, integrated monitoring system where the various technical solutions were compatible and with a much simpler data access. Experience from previous practice tells us that the Achilles’ heel in the existing systems was precisely that equipment did not work well together and that the interpretation of collected data was therefore subject to uncertainty. We have eliminated these problems in the new system,” says Oskar Klinghoffer, Head of Concrete Department in FORCE Technology.
|
|
|
FORCE Technology’s CorroWatch probe for surveillance of concrete. |
Corrosion initiation
The big risk is reinforcement corrosion. When the reinforcement is attacked by corrosion the entire construction becomes fragile and minor and major repairs have to be made. That is if corrosion is not detected in time.
FORCE Technology’s efforts resulted in implementation of a probe which - either embedded in the concrete or installed afterwards - will be able to register initiation of reinforcement corrosion and how it develops in time. It is now possible to undertake a timely risk assessment and plan the maintenance of the bridge or tunnel.
Difficult accessibility
“The probes are very useful for surveillance of concrete in inaccessible locations on bridges and in tunnels. The alternative is to make more frequent surveillances which are both costly and difficult. Our system is flexible and can be adjusted specifically to the structures where the survey has to be carried out,” says Brián Peter Kofoed, concrete specialist at FORCE Technology.
Reputation
Owners of big public and private plants know how greatly the business reputation suffers and how much money it costs when operation is suddenly interrupted by breakdowns and unforeseen repair works. When these incidents happen it is difficult to ask for forgiveness among the thousands of passengers and hundreds of businesses deeply dependent on our country’s infrastructure working at its optimum.
The integrated monitoring system will provide us a timely and clear picture of the maintenance requirements and could save us millions of Kroner and reduce the number of disappointed passengers and businesses.
