Comparison of measurement techniques and static theory applied to concrete beam deformation

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), photogrammetric and total station measurements were compared with dial gauge observations in two different loading experiments on a reinforced concrete beam. In the first test, the T‐beam was stressed in several loading phases resulting in deformations of up to 13·63 mm. All measuring methods were able to detect deformations with an accuracy of better than 0·38 mm. The theoretical calculations of deflections based on a form of Euler–Bernoulli beam equation, however, underestimated the maximum bending of 4·08 mm. A similar loading experiment was applied on a rectangular concrete beam. In this case, the maximum deformation of the beam was 14·94 mm and measuring accuracies of all methods were better than 0·44 mm. The accuracy of theoretical calculations was better than 2·07 mm. The results indicate that laser scanning could be used as an alternative or complementary method to photogrammetric and total station measurements for detecting structural deformations in buildings.