Emerging Steel Bridge Technologies [B24]

Technology in the steel bridge industry is advancing, and this session will explore a few of the emerging technologies that will shape the future of the industry.

One presentation will focus on augmented reality (AR) and how it can be applied to steel bridges. This presentation will demonstrate a pilot study under development for using augmented reality technology to benefit the structural steel fabrication process by reducing costly errors. The current capabilities of this technology which benefit the structural steel industry will be demonstrated and discussed so that future developments for the steel bridge industry using AR technology may be identified.

A second presentation will address current approaches for UAS applied to steel bridge inspections as well as the benefits, challenges, limitations, and new opportunities for this technology. The presentation will also demonstrate how the data could better inform maintenance and management decisions.

A third presentation will discuss additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing (AM) is a disruptive technology that is revolutionizing engineering design and fabrication. Advances in metallic AM now allow complex, large-scale components measured in feet to be fabricated. In this session, an overview of large-format wire-based metallic additive manufacturing will be presented, including background, materials, best uses, and case studies.

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