Currently non-destructive inspection of tunnels relies on acoustics involving an inspection engineer hitting the tunnel wall with a hammer and recording the reflected sound. This is obviously simple to use and any loose concrete can be removed using the hammer. Disadvantages include the long inspection time in total, the need for many engineers and the elevated working conditions, but the major difficulty is the interpretation of the acoustic data. These failures can develop into serious hazards that threaten transport safety and efficiency due to catastrophic unpredicted tunnel damage. The clear challenge is to use innovation for advanced subsurface infrastructure inspection to avoid expensive, inaccurate and time consuming acoustic testing. The TUNNEL VISION project will build and demonstrate radar equipment capable of forming 3D images of the subsurface using rotating antennae. TUNNEL VISION produce high-resolution images that can be easily interpreted by end-users improving safety and efficiency of tunnels while reducing delays, maintenance costs and the potential for catastrophic damage. The creation of clear 3D augmented reality images will allow civil engineers to accurately determine the tunnel infrastructure failures which will improve: whole life performance, resilience, reduce risk and effects of failure as well as reducing costs, plan maintenance and enable a predictable timescale for works and examine and repair fault(s). All tunnel infrastructure owners, operators and maintainers will benefit from the commercialised Subsurface Tunnel Infrastructure Inspection Radar system. The overall result is that TUNNEL VISION will be able to examine and evaluate the entire tunnel, subsurface regions as well as the tunnel utilities. This will maintain and improve levels of safety on rail and road networks, whilst reducing maintenance time and costs. Early detection and evaluation of anomalies that current technology cannot, allows potential hazards to be eliminated through specifically targeted maintenance, thereby increasing safety and decreasing costs, these are unique selling points for the European and global markets.
