Developing a BIM based digital twin system for structural health monitoring of civil infrastructure

Abstract

Abstract The utilization of building information modeling (BIM) within digital technology facilitates the creation of three-dimensional representations for monitoring data in large-scale civil infrastructure. In response to the need for intelligent structural management, this study establishes a structural health monitoring (SHM) system and foundational framework based on digital twins. This framework integrates information from various sources and facilitates collaborative efforts for structural operation and maintenance. Additionally, the SHM system integrates actual monitoring measurements and early warning mechanisms to consolidate multi-source monitoring data with BIM. Through real-time analysis, the system provides insights into the operational status of bridges, capturing geometric, physical, and performance evolution characteristics. To construct the system, engineering challenges are initially digitized, with appropriate sensors deployed on real bridge structures to monitor dynamic (acceleration) and static (strain, displacement) physical information during bridge operation. Subsequently, through wireless communication and data storage technologies, the monitored physical data serves as input for mode identification and early warning algorithms, facilitating the acquisition of structural performance information. Finally, three-dimensional display technology enables real-time calculation and rendering of BIM models, fostering the exchange and interaction of monitoring and BIM information, thus enhancing the intelligence of SHM system.