Development of Drone-attached Spraying Device for Active Maintenance of Structures

Seung Han Yang, Kwang Il Lee

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Exteriors of structures (apartments, buildings, bridges, dams, power plants, etc.) are subject to deterioration and damage (cracks, rust, etc.), mainly due to thermal expansion/contraction and environmental humidity. The damages shorten the lifespan of structures and cause unnecessary reconstruction, increasing social costs. The existing damage maintenance methods, which are directly constructed by the workers, have problems such as reduced work efficiency, increased work cost, lack of timely maintenance, and high work risks. In this paper, a spraying device attached to a drone for active and flexible maintenance of structures is developed. To simplify maintenance, the device consists of a solenoid motor, detachable parts for maintenance agent, and a lightweight-designed frame, manufactured with a 3D printer. In particular, the lever mechanism that amplifies the pushing force of the solenoid motor is designed to spray the maintenance agent when a switch comes into contact with the exterior of the structure. The prototype of a spraying device is attached to a commercial drone (Mavic3, DJI) and tested for effectiveness in structure maintenance. It demonstrates successful, cost-effective maintenance of structural damages in less than 10 minutes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)975-980
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
Volume40
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2023

Keywords

  • Active maintenance
  • Damage
  • Maintenance agent
  • Spraying device
  • Structure

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