SNCF – Fades Viaduct – Detailed Inspection by Drone


As part of its missions for monitoring and maintenance of its patrimony, SNCF must conduct regular inspection operations of its structures. Due to heavy operating constraints and difficulties for
access (stacks of great height, difficulties to access stacks in the middle of a river flow …), SNCF intends to carry out the monitoring and inspection of these works using a lightweight pilot-less drone. This context led the SNCF to carry out a campaign of test inspections by drone.

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Client & Project Manager

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Features

With their 92.33 meters in height, the two main stacks of the Fades Viaduct holds the world record for masonry bridge stacks. With its 132m50 total elevation from the depths of the Sioule Valley, this Engineering structure remains the highest railway viaduct in France.

  • Cage Trellis Viaduct
  • Length: 375 meters
  • Number of Spans: 3 spans
  • Stack Height : 93 meters

Mission of Diades

Our mission was to conduct a detailed inspection in order to provide the following information:

  • Raw images of the structure,
  • Image details allowing damage inspection with a precision of 1 / 10th millimeter,
  • Summary report with identification of observed damage.

In order to verify the physical integrity of the work, we have paid particular attention to the stack.