Background: The accurate, efficient and economical monitoring of settlements caused by tunnel boring machines, especially in regions of particular interest such as critical inner city areas, has become an important aspect of the tunnelling operation. Besides conventional terrestrial based methods to capture settlements, satellite based techniques that can accurately determine displacements remotely, are increasingly being used to augment standard terrestrial measurements. However, not much attention has been paid to analyse the accuracy of satellite based measurement data. In addition, there is also a lack of studies on how to visualise the resulting huge amount of data in the context of both the tunnel advancement and the existing building infrastructure.

In current tunnelling practice, Finite Element (FE) simulations form an integral element in the planning and the design phase of mechanised tunnelling projects. The generation of adequate computational models is often time consuming and requires data from many different sources, in particular, when manually generated using 2D‐CAD drawings. Incorporating Building Information Modelling (BIM) concepts offers opportunities to simplify this process by using geometrical BIM sub‐models as a basis for structural analyses. This paper presents a Tunnel Information Model (TIM) as a BIM specifically tailored to fit the needs of mechanised tunnelling projects and a ”BIM‐to‐FEM“ technology, that automatically extracts relevant information (geology, alignment, lining, material and process parameters) needed for FE simulations from BIM sub‐models and subsequently performs FE analysis of the tunnel drive. The results of the analysis are stored centrally on a data server to which the user has continuous access. A case study from the Wehrhahn‐Metro line project in Düsseldorf, Germany, is presented and discussed to demonstrate the efficiency and the applicability of the proposed BIM‐to‐FEM workflow.

The contribution takes a glance at the application of BIM technologies in the design and construction phases of shield tunnelling projects. The intention is to show how Building Information Modelling can be translated into actual benefit, not only in the operation phase but also in the design and construction phases of bored tunnels. Emphasising the integrative character of referencing data uniformly in space and time, examples are given of seamless communication between 3D geometrical modelling, efficient numerical simulation and model adaptation based on measured data acquired during the boring process. The article covers the complete range from predesign through structural analysis and detailed design until the actual excavation process including its interactions with the environment. Special emphasis is given to data management, which is the key to transforming a mere 3D visualisation into a Building Information Model. The article therefore presents a concept for database‐supported, web‐based integration of software modules for geometrical modelling in various levels of detail, efficient numerical simulation tools that are based upon this representation, and process controlling that manages all data acquired during the construction process in a spatially and temporally coordinated reference system.

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Underground infrastructures are becoming increasingly important components of modern traffic concepts worldwide. This includes, in particular, investigations of the stability of tunnel faces, material models for subsoil behavior, damage analysis of tunnel linings and supports as well as process-oriented simulation models for mechanized shield driving. Due to the strong interaction between the individual tasks in mechanized tunneling, the exchange of data and the interplay of components in simulation, the Collaborative Research Center SFB 837 has been established at the Ruhr-University of Bochum. In this paper a brief overview on the 14 sub-projects in the SFB 837 addressing one of the characteristic research areas in underground engineering is given. The main part of the paper deals with key sub-projects solely dedicated to the computer-supported integration, visualization and interaction of related models and information.