immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Messtechnik

  • Cooperation strengthens digital precision in infrastructure construction

    Cooperation strengthens digital precision in infrastructure construction

    Amberg Technologies AG from Regensdorf, part of the Amberg Group, is joining forces with Topcon Positioning Systemsfrom Livermore in the US state of California. The aim of the cooperation is “to enable interoperability between Topcon’s sensor solutions and Amberg Technologies’ software and hardware platforms for rail and tunnel applications”, the two international partner companies write in a joint press release. The background to this is the endeavor of Amberg and Topcon to be able to offer joint customers “fully integrated solutions”.

    Amberg Technologies specializes in measurement solutions for the construction of roads, railways, subway railroads and other infrastructure. Founded in 1981, the Regensdorf-based subsidiary of the Amberg Group also offers measurement solutions for monitoring such infrastructure. Topcon Positioning Systems, which belongs to the Tokyo-based Topcon Corporation, develops, produces and distributes precision measurement and workflow solutions for the construction, geodata and agricultural sectors.

  • Innovative measurement technology facilitates structural inspection of reinforced concrete

    Innovative measurement technology facilitates structural inspection of reinforced concrete

    Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich(ETH) have developed a method for detecting corrosion in the reinforcing steel of reinforced concrete structures without having to break open the concrete. The method developed by mechanical engineer Lukas Bircher and his team is based on electrochemical measurements, the ETH reported in a press release. Specifically, the researchers have invented a probe consisting of two inflatable seals with electrodes in the centre. A water pipe is built into the associated cable.

    The probe is inserted into the drainage pipes, the seals are inflated and water is then fed into the sealed area. The water creates a connection between the electrodes in the probe and the soil through the holes in the drainage pipe. This creates an electrolytically conductive connection to the steel in the structure, which forms a localised electrochemical measuring point. “We use the measuring cell to record electrical signals, which vary depending on whether the reinforcing steel is corroded or not,” Bircher is quoted as saying in the press release.

    At present, the probe still has to be passed manually through the drainage pipes one by one to enable a comprehensive assessment of the condition of the steel. In the next step, the team wants to “automate the measurement more and make the inspection probe more robust”, explains Bircher. As the concept has already proved its worth, he will found a start-up called Talpa Inspection together with materials engineer Federico Martinelli-Orlando and civil engineer Patrick Pfändler.