Proper inspection of small culverts can prevent roadway failures, traffic disturbances, and save tens of thousands of dollars on costly repairs. The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) has adopted a policy that requires all culverts to be inspected every 5 years. Because of this, approximately 9,600 small culverts must be inspected annually. In this study, a lightweight inspection vehicle was designed, built, and tested to meet VTrans requirements for efficient and affordable small culvert inspection. Optimal parameters for video transmission through small culverts were understood through theory and a series of field tests. Vehicle form factor was chosen for maneuverability through small, flooded culverts. Performance for drop inlet inspection scenarios is characterized and discussed. Compared with prior designs, the “Hydraulic Inspection Vehicle Explorer (HIVE) 2.0” inspection vehicle offered much greater video telemetry range and superior maneuverability.

正确检查小涵洞可以防止道路故障、交通干扰，并节省数万美元的昂贵维修费用。佛蒙特州交通局 (VTrans) 采取了一项政策，要求每 5 年检查一次所有涵洞。因此，每年必须检查大约 9,600 个小涵洞。在这项研究中，设计、制造和测试了轻型检查车，以满足 VTrans 对高效且经济实惠的小型涵洞检查的要求。通过理论和一系列现场测试，了解了通过小涵洞进行视频传输的最佳参数。选择车辆形状因数是为了通过小型、被淹没的涵洞的机动性。对液滴入口检查场景的性能进行了表征和讨论。与之前的设计相比，