Crack detection in historic structures using an improved Prewitt filter: Case study of the Historic Si-o-se-pol Bridge in Iran

In contrast to new and modern structures, historical structures have cultural significance, and it is essential to make an effort to preserve them. For this purpose, fast and accurate damage detection of historical structures plays a crucial role. Thus, the current study introduces a novel and effective tool for detecting cracks in historic structures. A new and modified version of the Prewitt filter is proposed to detect cracks in the Si-o-se-pol Bridge, a historic bridge in Iran. Results of crack detection using vertical and horizontal Prewitt filters are compared to those obtained from the proposed improved filter. The findings show that the improved Prewitt filter has significantly better performance compared to the vertical and horizontal Prewitt filters.