Fast and Accurate Generation Method of Geometric Digital Twin Model of RC Bridge with Box Chambers Based on Terrestrial Laser Scanning

Abstract

Digital Twin (DT) plays a crucial role in intelligent bridge management, and the geometric DT (gDT) serves as its foundation. Notably, the fast and high-precision generation of bridge gDT models has gained increasing attention. This research presents a method for generating high-precision and fast RC bridges with chambers for gDT using terrestrial laser scanning. The method begins with a proposed fast point cloud data collection technique designed specifically for bridges with internal chambers. Subsequently, Euclidean clustering and grid segmentation algorithms are developed to automatically extract contour features from the sliced point clouds. Finally, a framework based on the Dynamo–Revit reverse modelling method is introduced, enabling the automatic generation of gDT models from the identified point cloud features. To validate the feasibility and accuracy of the proposed method, a concrete variable section bridge is used. A comparison is made between the generated gDT model and the point cloud model in terms of 3D deviation, revealing a maximum deviation of 6.6 mm and an average deviation of 3 mm. These results affirm the feasibility of the proposed method.

Research on the development and application of digital twin for the full life cycle of bridge engineering

“…Also, there is a high demand for fast and accurate modeling techniques to improve the efficiency of Digital Twin. Hu et al utilize terrestrial laser scanning techniques to produce high-quality and fast gDT bridge models with point cloud, which performs well by testing [22]. Also, Hu et al set up a semi-automated method to generate bridges without point clouds.…”