Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering team developed and demonstrated system that provides damage detection and diagnoses

Two CvEEN Ph.D. students and Assistant Professor Peter Zhu conducted a field demonstration on the UTA TRAX blue and green lines with Utah Transit Authority and Federal Transit Administration representatives in attendance.

The infrastructure Sensing and Experimental Mechanics (iSEM) team held the demonstration May 2023 on UTA TRAX’s blue and green lines. Moein Ramezanpourkami (Ph.D. student), Yuning Wu (Ph.D. student), and Peter Zhu (PI), developed and deployed a polarized infrared camera-based prototype system on a UTA train.

The system performed rail track condition assessment and diagnostics, providing reliable damage detection and diagnosis for timber and concrete sleepers with an inspection speed of up to 35 mph.

Once installed on operating trains, this system — developed by CvEEN students and Professor Zhu — will enable big data analytics for network scale real-time track condition assessment.

The team collaborated with an Amsterdam-based startup company, AutoFill Technology, Inc., and UTA on this FTA-funded research project, demonstrating the amount of project management, communication, and planning required of students and Zhu.

The project and its real-world application is just one of the many ways CvEEN students get unique, hands-on experience in the fields the college prepares them to enter.

Professor Zhu demonstrates system