Robotics for Bridge Repairs - November 2003
A successful demonstration of using a manipulator arm for bridge repairs was undertaken in Northwich during the first week in October. The demonstration was part of a project aiming to prove the feasibility of using existing remote handling and automation technology developed by INBIS for the nuclear industry in the construction or structural maintenance sectors.
The project was part of the START initiative (Safety Through Automated and Robotic Technologies) funded by the North West Development Agency. START's objective is the improvement of safety within the construction and structural maintenance sectors through the application of transferable technologies from other sectors.
The specific aim of our project was to demonstrate that we have the capability of deploying a very long manipulator arm through a tight aperture inside a floating tank, an operation similar to a keyhole surgery. The tank forms part of the floating pontoon structure of the Hayhurst bridge spanning the river Weaver in Northwich. The pontoon by its buoyancy provides mid-span support to the bridge as well as allowing it to swing open.
The project began last May with very challenging delivery timescales when taking into consideration the extent of the work required for concept generation, design, manufacturing and installation. Before installing it on-site, the equipment was tried out in the Club street development workshop on a full size mock-up of the pontoon structure.
The design concepts needed to be imaginative and accurately detailed in order to deploy the manipulator in an area of limited headroom space and access. The success of the deployment proved that INBIS design capabilities combine the necessary creativity and engineering expertise for this type of projects. The manipulator, which was a modified version of the Commander, carried various cameras inside the pontoon structure to allow close visual inspection of the pontoon interior surfaces, which under normal circumstances are very inaccessible.
The demonstrations went ahead as planned and were completed successfully. A large number of visitors including the press visited the site and witnessed the demonstrations. The feed back, without exception was very positive particularly from representatives of the industry who realised that highly dangerous manual maintenance operations such as visual inspection, NDT, shot-blasting, welding and painting could in the future be undertaken by Commander.
A small (2.4Mb) animation can be found here.