Structure Monitoring with BIM and IoT: The Case Study of a Bridge Beam Model

Abstract

The diffusion of Building Information Modelling (BIM) as a reference methodology, applied to the world of construction, leads to important changes in the design and the management of big constructions and infrastructures. However, although the BIM approach is necessary for managing the entire life cycle of a construction, today, this methodology is still rarely adopted beyond the design phase. This represents a major flaw because the management of every phase of the life cycle of buildings needs accurate preliminary planning. Certainly, one of the most complex and important phases of the life cycle of a construction is the monitoring phase, which represents a fundamental aspect for the maintenance and the safe fruition of buildings or civil constructions. Considering this, the multidisciplinary approach of merging BIM methodology with real-time monitoring, using low-cost IoT (Internet of Things) sensors, seems to be an interesting topic to develop. In this paper, we will propose an example of a connection between an IoT system and a BIM model for monitoring the deflection of a bridge beam at the centerline using a schematic scale model reproduced in the laboratory and modelled in BIM. The developed system allows the real-time connection between the real model and its digital twin through the use of a relational database management system (RDBMS), to which the data detected by the sensor are transmitted, allowing the risk assessment of the real structure. This solution gives the possibility to remotely monitor, in real time, the behaviour of the structure visualised in the BIM model.