Measurement of deflections in buried flexible pipes by close range digital photogrammetry

In this study, the monitoring of the load–deflection behavior of buried flexible pipes by digital close range photogrammetry was described. Experimental investigations were performed in a test box made of steel, with a Plexiglas front wall. An online vision system with three CCD cameras was developed to measure automatically the deflections of pipes during load tests. The system can also correct image distortions caused by refraction of light rays passing through different medias. The computational approach involves first determining camera calibration parameters, then calculating of object coordinates of targets placed on pipe wall section after each load step using the results of the calibration process. In loading tests, LVDTs were also used to measure the changes in vertical diameters of the pipes. The comparison of results obtained from both measurement systems indicated that photogrammetric system is reliable and accurate to monitor deflection behavior of pipes under loading conditions.