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Review
. 2022 Jun 18;22(12):4610.
doi: 10.3390/s22124610.

LiDAR-Based Structural Health Monitoring: Applications in Civil Infrastructure Systems

Affiliations
Review

LiDAR-Based Structural Health Monitoring: Applications in Civil Infrastructure Systems

Elise Kaartinen et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

As innovative technologies emerge, extensive research has been undertaken to develop new structural health monitoring procedures. The current methods, involving on-site visual inspections, have proven to be costly, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and highly subjective for assessing the safety and integrity of civil infrastructures. Mobile and stationary LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) devices have significant potential for damage detection, as the scans provide detailed geometric information about the structures being evaluated. This paper reviews the recent developments for LiDAR-based structural health monitoring, in particular, for detecting cracks, deformation, defects, or changes to structures over time. In this regard, mobile laser scanning (MLS) and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), specific to structural health monitoring, were reviewed for a wide range of civil infrastructure systems, including bridges, roads and pavements, tunnels and arch structures, post-disaster reconnaissance, historical and heritage structures, roofs, and retaining walls. Finally, the existing limitations and future research directions of LiDAR technology for structural health monitoring are discussed in detail.

Keywords: automation; damage detection; mobile laser scanning; quality control; structural assessment; terrestrial laser scanning.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A typical TLS: (a) FARO Focus 130 3D laser scanner; (b) Leica TC2002 total station [20].
Figure 2
Figure 2
A typical ALS integrated into a drone [21].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Applications of LiDAR for SHM.

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