Extending the service life of entry light bridges through AI-based early corrosion detection

Abstract

Periodic inspections of infrastructure facilities are typically conducted every five years. However, damage may progress during this interval, potentially necessitating repair or reinforcement before the next scheduled inspection. This study focuses on early corrosion detection as a means to extend the lifespan of approach light bridges at airports. Specifically, we used YOLO (You Only Look Once) to evaluate its performance in detecting corrosion on main structures and bolts. We found that even for the same type of corrosion, the geometry of the affected structure significantly influences detection accuracy.

Additionally, because the number of approach light bridges is limited, available training data is restricted to past inspection records, resulting in a significant data shortage. To address this issue, we examined data augmentation methods.