Flyable Mirrors: Laser Scanning Vibrometry Method for Monitoring Large Engineering Structures Using Drones

Laser Doppler vibrometers (LDVs) provide an efficient method for measuring the surface vibration of a remote target using the Doppler shift of a reflected laser beam. However, LDVs have limited applicability for the evaluation of large structures, e.g. bridges and wind turbine towers. In this study, a new scanning method utilizing flyable mirrors is introduced to enable a single LDV unit to scan a large structure via reflection of the laser beam from mirrors attached to drones. Preliminary tests have been performed to measure structural vibrations between 2 and 900 Hz through an LDV and a flyable mirror attached to a micro drone