Data-driven Detection and Evaluation of Damages in Concrete Structures: Using Deep Learning and Computer Vision

Structural integrity is vital for maintaining the safety and longevity of concrete infrastructures such as bridges, tunnels, and walls. Traditional methods for detecting damages like cracks and spalls are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and prone to human error. To address these challenges, this study explores advanced data-driven techniques using deep learning for automated damage detection and analysis. Two state-of-the-art instance segmentation models, YOLO-v7 instance segmentation and Mask R-CNN, were evaluated using a dataset comprising 400 images, augmented to 10,995 images through geometric and color-based transformations to enhance robustness. The models were trained and validated using a dataset split into 90% training set, validation and test set 10%. Performance metrics such as precision, recall, mean average precision (mAP@0.5), and frames per second (FPS) were used for evaluation. YOLO-v7 achieved a superior mAP@0.5 of 96.1% and processed 40 FPS, outperforming Mask R-CNN, which achieved a mAP@0.5 of 92.1% with a slower processing speed of 18 FPS. The findings recommend YOLO-v7 instance segmentation model for real-time, high-speed structural health monitoring, while Mask R-CNN is better suited for detailed offline assessments. This study demonstrates the potential of deep learning to revolutionize infrastructure maintenance, offering a scalable and efficient solution for automated damage detection.