The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, in partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), has launched a new crowdsourcing challenge, Imperfection Detection: Detect Me If You Can! The goal of the challenge is to develop portable tools that rapidly and non-destructively evaluate the condition of existing fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite structures.
The ongoing use of FRP composite materials for federal civil infrastructure, at both Reclamation and USACE, in applications such as pipelines, tanks, and other specialized structures or components takes advantage of composites’ excellent corrosion resistance, reduced weight, and other helpful properties. As composites continue to age in their various infrastructure applications, reliable methods of assessing their condition in the field are needed.
This is a three-stage competition that will take the top submitted innovations from the initial design phase to prototype development to a live demonstration event. Prizes will be awarded at each stage for a grand total of $380,000. You don’t want to miss this unique opportunity!
You can learn more and sign up to participate by visiting the challenge page here.
