AUTOMATED FULL-SCALE LASER VIBRATION SENSING SYSTEM

In this paper, a conceptual system for automatic laser vibration sensing of Armored Vehicle Launched Bridges (AVLB) is reported. The AVLB is a folding scissors-type assault bridge, which is hydraulically operated and is designed to be light and flexible. Ensuring the mission capability of such bridges can be critical to military operations and safety of soldiers. Since these bridges are mobile, it is ideal to utilize automated systems to inspect these bridges. This paper describes the development of a conceptual inspection methodology and system concept for such application. The inspection is based on the interpretation of vibration parameters for damage detection. The automated laser sensing system is developed to acquire the data of the bridge under controlled vibration. This paper summarizes the research effort from the past three years on such a system at the West Virginia University.