Bridge Information Modeling Research Articles

Building Information Modeling–Life Cycle Assessment: A Novel Technology for Rapid Calculation and Analysis System for Life Cycle Carbon Emissions of Bridges

With the rapid development of bridge construction, environmental concerns have become increasingly prominent. Low-carbon, green, and sustainable bridge engineering has emerged as an inevitable trend. A comprehensive carbon emission calculation system is key to achieving low-carbon bridges. This study proposes a rapid calculation and analysis system for bridge carbon emissions (Building Information Modeling–Life Cycle Assessment, BIM-LCA). This system, using the bridge information model as a carrier, calculates and manages data on material consumption, machinery, transportation, and energy throughout the bridge’s life cycle. It then calculates the carbon emissions for each stage. This system simplifies the complex and cumbersome data collection and analysis processes found in traditional methods while also making the carbon emissions across the full bridge life cycle more accessible and visible. Being applicable to all types of bridges, this system can provide insights and a basis for decision-making in the early design stages and during construction and operation to support carbon reduction. Ultimately, it promotes low-carbon, environmentally friendly, and sustainable bridge engineering development.

Transfer from defective bridge information model to defect analysis model based on industry foundation classes

Bridges, as an important part in modern infrastructure networks, suffer from increasingly severe aging issues in recent years. Road agencies and authorities conduct regular inspections for their bridges and identify defects and deteriorations for condition assessment. Such defect information cannot be efficiently used for analysis in the structural domain. This study proposes an Industry Foundation Classes-based method to allow for the transfer from a defective bridge information model to a defect analysis model. The architectural model of bridge is first converted into analytical model and then the impacts of defects on structural properties are quantified with a stiffness reduction coefficient. Case studies are conducted to validate the applicability of the proposed method for defect analysis and a range of coefficients are tested on an illustrative case bridge. The results prove that the proposed method can generate instructive and informative knowledge on the safety and reliability of the entire structure. This study narrows the gap between the empirical condition assessment scheme and the numerical structural analysis scheme for bridge management and manages to make full use of inspection-related information within Building Information Modelling (BIM) environment.

Framework for assessing bridges construction impact on work zone traffic using BrIM

This research presents a framework for visualizing bridge construction impact on work zone traffic using Bridge Information Modelling (BrIM) and Google Maps API. The framework consists of four modules. The first module contains the construction data of the bridge by reporting the construction's daily progress. The second module is designated to model traffic data of the work zone using Google Maps API, traffic Survey counting, and Google Earth Images. The third module performs a traffic simulation for the work zone, and calculating the user cost of different stages. The fourth module visualizes the bridge's construction using Bridge Information Modelling (BrIM) and virtual reality in the Twinmotion engine to demonstrate the construction stages and the corresponding traffic states. An actual case study of El-Nahas Bridge in Cairo city-Egypt is presented to demonstrate the main features of the developed framework and its practical aspects. The case study results reveal that the impact of the construction stages varies on work zone traffic throughout the project period. The impact greatly influences the traffic status at the beginning of the project associated with high user costs. Then, the impact declines in later stages depending on the type of construction activities in each stage.

Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) aplicado na operação e manutenção de Obras de Arte Especiais (OAEs)

Abstract Studies have shown a worrisome condition as to the conservation of Civil Engineering Structures (CESs) in Brazilian highways. This situation mainly results from the lack of an efficient system for managing such structures, specifically during their operational stage, when periodic maintenance is required. As a solution, the Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) has proven to be an efficient system for managing CESs, integrating different technologies into this process. The purpose of this paper is to assess how BrIM can contribute to improve the management procedures of these structures. The research methodology has been divided into two stages. The first one is the literature review detailing the management scenario of CESs in the country, as well as the analysis of the BrIM used as a tool to manage such structures in a general context. The second stage is a case study addressing the operational and maintenance process of CESs used by a highway concessionaire in an important Brazilian state. The analysis concluded that, although recent, the adoption of BrIM has been growing in several countries, and it can substantially contribute to improving the operational and maintenance stages of CESs.

Automatic Identification and Segmentation of Long‐Span Rail‐and‐Road Cable‐Stayed Bridges Using UAV LiDAR Point Cloud

Bridge information models are essential for bridge inspection, assessment, and management. LiDAR technology, particularly UAV LiDAR, offers a cost‐effective means to capture dense and accurate 3D coordinates of a bridge’s surface. However, the structure of large‐scale bridges is complex, and existing commercial software still demands substantial manual effort to segment the components when constructing bridge information models for large‐scale bridges. This study introduces a novel approach to automatically segment the components of a long‐span rail‐and‐road cable‐stayed bridge from the entire point cloud obtained through UAV LiDAR. In this proposed approach, the geometric and topological constraints of various bridge components are thoroughly examined, and a combination of the coarse‐to‐fine concept and top‐down strategy is employed. The key structural elements, including piers, cable towers, wind fairing plate, stay‐cable, main truss, railway surfaces, and deck surfaces, are identified and segmented. The proposed methodology achieves an average accuracy of over 96% at the point level validated using datasets acquired by UAV LiDAR.

Research progress and prospect of digital twin in bridge engineering

The concept of digital twins in bridge engineering is still vague and even confused with the Bridge Information Model (BrIM). Therefore, this study provides a detailed review of 42 papers related to digital twins in bridge engineering, focusing on a proper definition, key features and creation techniques for bridge digital twin (BDT). The paper also compares BDT and BrIM from the perspectives of their elements, features, fidelity, services provided, and degree of development. The applications of BDT at different life cycle stages are identified, and the related technologies are analyzed in detail. The results show that the research clusters of BDT are divided into geometric model generation, finite element model updating, and management and are focused on the operation and maintenance phase while lacking attention in the design and construction phase. Besides, a reference framework of BDT based on the life cycle of bridges is proposed, and directions for future research are suggested.

A Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) Framework for Inspection and Maintenance Intervention in Reinforced Concrete Bridges

Reinforced concrete bridges (RCBs) are essential elements of transportation infrastructure, necessitating ongoing inspection and maintenance to guarantee their durability and structural integrity. This research aims to develop an integrated framework for inspection and maintenance intervention in reinforced concrete bridges (RCB), leveraging the potential of as-is Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM). The methodology begins by converting 2D drawings into a 3D as-is BrIM model, facilitating a more accurate representation of the bridge’s current state. This is followed by creating a comprehensive bridge inventory, allowing for meticulous tracking of vital components and their condition. Subsequently, inspection data are acquired using advanced sensing technologies, enabling real-time data collection and analysis. Structural defects are modeled on the as-is BrIM model to enhance diagnostic capabilities, providing a visual representation of areas requiring intervention. The framework also makes it easier to create reports, ensuring that important information is efficiently shared with the right people. A thorough case study using a concrete bridge is used to show the effectiveness of the created framework. The BrIM framework’s potential to improve the bridge inspection and maintenance process was demonstrated by integrating inspection reporting with BrIM, which produced encouraging results. The research contribution to the body of knowledge is significant as the developed framework considerably enhances the administration of bridge inspection and maintenance procedures, resulting in greater efficacy by offering a thorough and clear picture of the bridge’s current state.

Potential Integration of Bridge Information Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment/Life Cycle Costing Tools for Infrastructure Projects within Construction 4.0: A Review

Construction 4.0 is a platform that combines digital and physical technologies to enhance the design and construction of the built environment. Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM), a component of Construction 4.0′s digital technologies, streamlines construction processes and promotes collaboration among project stakeholders. In this study, a comprehensive literature review and bibliometric and content analysis are conducted on building information modeling (BIM), life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle cost (LCC), BrIM, and Bridge LCA. This study investigates the potential integration of BrIM, LCA, and LCC as inputs for bridges’ LCA to enhance decision making by providing designers with detailed and interactive cost and environmental information throughout an asset’s lifecycle and explores the functionalities of Construction 4.0 and its potential influence on the economy and sustainability of bridge projects. The reviewed literature showed that the tools currently used to apply LCA and LCC methods for infrastructure assets lack the ability to identify possible integration with BrIM and hold limitations in their key functions for identifying the utmost features that need to be adopted in the creation of any tool to increase the general resilience of bridges and infrastructure.

Development of BrIM-Based Bridge Maintenance System for Existing Bridges

Globally, bridges are rapidly aging, and traditional maintenance approaches face significant challenges in terms of efficiency and cost. To overcome these challenges, considerable research has been conducted to introduce enhanced bridge management systems (BMSs) based on bridge information modeling (BrIM) from various perspectives. However, most studies have highlighted the advantages of BrIM, while neglecting the practical issues that potential users may encounter on existing bridges. The primary problem is digitizing existing bridges that have not yet adopted BrIM. The universal applicability of BrIM should be carefully considered from the perspective of national maintenance authorities managing thousands of bridges, because modeling based on commercial software is expected to be time-consuming and costly. Therefore, in this study, information and functional requirements were derived from interviews with stakeholders, including bridge owners, managers, and site inspectors. Based on this understanding, a data-driven modeling approach using basic bridge information was implemented, and an inventory code system was integrated to efficiently manage and utilize the data. Moreover, mapping and deep learning-based vectorization were considered for managing inspection information, and features for bridge assessment, dashboards, and reporting were incorporated to support decision-making. The developed BrIM demonstrated the potential for enhancing maintenance efficiency through a case study. Particularly, significant improvements were observed in mandatory documentation tasks, along with their investigation and analysis, as required by regulations. Additionally, efficient modeling and data management were achieved for the existing bridge.

Application of bridge information modelling using laser scanning for static and dynamic analysis with concrete damage plasticity

A new proposal has been applied using Bridge Information Modeling associated to Terrestrial Laser Scanning TLS and photogrammetry to obtain the digital model of an existing bridge. For the laser scanning process. Thus, it was also possible to identify the pathologies and damages in the concrete of the bridge. Furthermore, it was shown how geo-information with remote sensing using the station Trimble SX 10 can be applied in area of bridge projects with less time and lower cost, in relationship to a conventional survey Asbuilt with manual survey in field. One of the innovations of this paper was to obtain the digital model of the bridge by integration of TLS and photogrammetry to obtain the 3D digital model. The new methodology consisted of acquisition of the bridge scenes through points previously implanted, making the polygonal contour of the entire bridge. Furthermore, the execution of the field survey from georeferenced points to capture the scenes during the sweep with TLS facilitated the refinement and, consequently, it was possible to obtain the digital model with the concrete damage. It was also possible to perform a complex nonlinear analysis with Finite Element with the digital model of the bridge. Therefore, it was applied a reverse analysis of the strength of the structure using the Concrete Damage Plasticity Model using ABAQUS software. Two numerical analyses were performed on the bridge; one considering only the static behavior of the bridge and another considering the dynamic behavior. In the static analysis, the behavior of the dapped-end beam of the bridge, was investigated. On the other hand, in the dynamic evaluation, the natural frequency and damping ratio for bridges with Dapped-end beams was obtained in ABAQUS through Rayleigh damping and compared with the technical literature, which presented satisfactory results.

Bridge management through digital twin-based anomaly detection systems: A systematic review

Bridge infrastructure has great economic, social, and cultural value. Nevertheless, many of the infrastructural assets are in poor conservation condition as has been recently evidenced by the collapse of several bridges worldwide. The objective of this systematic review is to collect and synthesize state-of-the-art knowledge and information about how bridge information modeling, finite element modeling, and bridge health monitoring are combined and used in the creation of digital twins (DT) of bridges, and how these models could generate damage scenarios to be used by anomaly detection algorithms for damage detection on bridges, especially in bridges with cultural heritage value. A total of 76 relevant studies from 2017 up to 2022 have been taken into account in this review. The synthesis results show a consensus toward the future adoption of DT for bridge design, management, and operation among the scientific community and bridge practitioners. The main gaps identified are related to the lack of software interoperability, the required improvement of the performance of anomaly-detection algorithms, and the approach definition to be adopted for the integration of DT at the macro scale. Other potential developments are related to the implementation of Industry 5.0 concepts and ideas within DT frameworks.

Integration of TLS-derived Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) with a Decision Support System (DSS) for digital twinning and asset management of bridge infrastructures

In the current modern era of information and technology, the concept of Building Information Modeling (BIM), has made revolutionary changes in different aspects of engineering design, construction, monitoring, and management of infrastructure assets, especially bridges. In the field of bridge engineering, Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM), as a specific form of BIM, includes digital twinning of bridge assets associated with geometrical information and non-geometrical inspection data. BrIM has demonstrated tremendous potential in substituting traditional paper-based documentation and hand-written reports with digital bridge documentation/transformation, allowing professionals and managers to execute bridge management more efficiently and effectively. However, concerns remain about the quality of the acquired data in BrIM development, as well as lack of research on utilizing these information for remedial actions/decisions in a reliable Bridge Management System (BMS), which are mainly reliant on the knowledge and experience of the involved inspectors, or asset managers, and are susceptible to a certain degree of subjectivity. To address these concerns, this research paper presents a comprehensive methodology as an advanced asset management system that employs BrIM data to improve and facilitate the BMS. This innovative BMS is comprised of a precise Terrestrial Laser Scan (TLS)-derived BrIM as a qualitative digital replica of the existing bridge, incorporating geometrical and non-geometrical information of the bridge elements, and equipped with a requirement-driven framework in a redeveloped condition assessment model for priority ranking of bridge elements based on their health condition. In another step ahead, the proposed BMS integrates a Decision Support System (DSS) to score the feasible remedial strategies and provide more objective decisions for optimal budget allocation and remedial planning. This methodology was further implemented via a developed BrIM-oriented BMS plugin and validated through a real case study on the Werrington Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge in New South Wales, Australia. The finding of this research confirms the reliability of BrIM-oriented BMS implementation and the integration of proposed DSS for priority ranking of bridge elements that require more attention based on their structural importance and material vulnerability, as well as optimizing remedial actions in a practical way while preserving the bridge in a safe and healthy condition.

Recent Enhancement of Indian Bridge Management System

The Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS) was researched from 2003 and has finally been implemented since 2015. During the four years implementation phase of the system, many shortcomings were encountered and lessons learned. This enabled research to continue and to enhance IBMS to create the Unified Bridge Management System (UBMS). The article enumerates various developments in IBMS that resulted in the evolution of UBMS. The article further narrates the integration of innovative technologies in UBMS that have resulted in the elimination of most of the shortcoming that were identified and noticed during implementation. The key function of any bridge management system is the management of funds during the entire lifecycle of the bridges, which depends on the deterioration model and the assessment of risk. Inventory gathering, inspections and testing are all major activities that fall under the remit of a bridge information system and are essential for the maturation of bridge management. One of the focuses driving research the world over has been to make deterioration modelling more realistic. Deterioration modelling, which to date has been based on the judgement of the engineers undertaking inspections, has moved to accommodate factual data based on the performance monitoring of the distressed elements of bridges. The Bridge Information Model (BIM) evolved as a solution and tool for gathering information about bridge design and the construction phase. Management of the lifecycle is now being explored within BIM. The integration of BIM with BMS has ensured the maximization of the utilization of the strengths of both BIM and UBMS. This integration has resulted in the enhanced efficiency of predictive tools essential for bridge management.

Creation of a Mock-up Bridge Digital Twin by Fusing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Data into Bridge Information Model (BrIM)

Passage of overweighted commercial vehicles is one of the significant causes of damage to the pavement and structural components of bridges. Weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems can currently detect real-time traffic data; however, these data are stored in standalone databases. Building information modeling (BIM) has transformed the construction industry by injecting “information” into the building model and integrating different databases. BIM capabilities for bilateral exchange of data led to the inception of digital twin. This research investigates the feasibility of developing a digital twin of a mock-up bridge by integrating WIM data into a bridge information model (BrIM). The system was validated by first creating a mock-up bridge with affixed weight sensors attached to microcomputers and then developing a BrIM model and passing scaled vehicles over in real time with varying weight capacities. This study showed the feasibility of creating digital twins, ultimately enabling future research.

A Scoping Review of Information-Modeling Development in Bridge Management Systems

Transportation assets represent a critical element of public infrastructures, and bridge networks are an essential part of these assets. A system that includes several tools for managing the bridges is called a bridge management system (BMS). BMSs are built up to provide long-term health verification for bridges and assure safe serviceability. With the advent of powerful computers in the mid-1980s, BMSs became more electronic and, consequently, capable of processing more data than a paper system. Building information modeling (BIM) is an emerging technology with commanding visualization and informatization ability, making it a perfect tool for generating modern management systems. Bridge information modeling (BrIM) is a developed concept extracted from BIM that concentrates on bridges. In this paper, the use of BrIM in the development of bridge management systems during the recent decade is verified through a scoping review of the state-of-the-art literature. The broad nature of the scoping review provides chances for rapidly reviewing evidence in emerging topics and analyzing knowledge gaps; it is used to capture the cutting-edge concept of information modeling in the body of literature. In this study, search resulted in a final refined list of 78 journal articles published in the recent decade, categorized into six different topic areas. This paper aims to verify different aspects of using information modeling in bridge management and identify the knowledge gaps, limitations, and emergent works for industrial and academic investigators. Descriptive and content analyses are presented to clarify the researchers’ focal points in this review, which shows trending keywords, leading journals, and articles’ frequency in each field. This study indicates that the concentration of BrIM researchers is on new inspection and test methods and maintenance optimization with a particular focus on concrete structures.

Application of BIM in bridge construction

The spread of digital technologies in the field of engineering led to the invention of various methods for digitization processes. The use of Building Information Model (BIM) is already expanding to the application for infrastructure objects. Therefore, a need for the practical implementation of a BIM for each type of the specific objects is sufficient. In the current research, the main objective is to present an optimal technique for the application of BIM for built bridges. Based on the project documentation and field measurements of a bridge, a digital model must be created using Revit software. To investigate the achievements so far, some scientific articles and proposed technologies have been analyzed. How is BIM for infrastructure management already developed in many countries? What is a more detailed methodology called bridge information model (BrIM)? Another important question is how to digitize old objects in a simple and fast way. The procedures of data acquisition, georeferencing and modeling have been implemented and described. All successive steps from surveying an area to visualization and data transfer are presented in the study. The TLS and aerial photographs were merged and transferred into a point cloud, which served as a source for modeling. Revit software is used to create a bridge. Attribute data was taken from the project documentation, and the model of the newly built bridge on the old federal road B96 was transferred to a BIM. For the bridge on the new federal road B96, the inclination of the bridge body and the rotation around the center axis were modeled using an add-on for Revit called SOFiSTiK.

Development of Open-Assistant Environment for Integrated Operation of 3D Bridge Model and Engineering Document Information

This study proposes a method for assistant environments to integrate 3D bridge model information and engineering document fragments. The engineering document content varies depending on the process. Therefore, we accept a loose coupling concept to support the independence of each information set instead of using a specific data model for effective integration. The engineering document is translated into an Extensible Markup Language (XML)-based structured format based on the explicit and apparent semantic structure of the document. An extended industry foundation classes (IFC) schema is proposed to manage the bridge information model, as well as document fragments. An information document (iMapDoc) is proposed to manage interim data to connect a 3D digital model, an IFC model, and engineering document fragments. Document fragments on a specific component in the 3D bridge model are retrieved to validate the developed integrated assistant module.

Application of TLS Method in Digitization of Bridge Infrastructures: A Path to BrIM Development

Over the past years, bridge inspection practices and condition assessments were predicated upon long-established manual and paper-based data collection methods which were generally unsafe, time-consuming, imprecise, and labor-intensive, influenced by the experience of the trained inspectors involved. In recent years, the ability to turn an actual civil infrastructure asset into a detailed and precise digital model using state-of-the-art emerging technologies such as laser scanners has become in demand among structural engineers and managers, especially bridge asset managers. Although advanced remote technologies such as Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) are recently established to overcome these challenges, the research on this subject is still lacking a comprehensive methodology for a reliable TLS-based bridge inspection and a well-detailed Bridge Information Model (BrIM) development. In this regard, the application of BrIM as a shared platform including a geometrical 3D CAD model connected to non-geometrical data can benefit asset managers, and significantly improve bridge management systems. Therefore, this research aims not only to provide a practical methodology for TLS-derived BrIM but also to serve a novel sliced-based approach for bridge geometric Computer-Aided Design (CAD) model extraction. This methodology was further verified and demonstrated via a case study on a cable-stayed bridge called Werrington Bridge, located in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. In this case, the process of extracting a precise 3D CAD model from TLS data using the sliced-based method and a workflow to connect non-geometrical information and develop a BrIM are elaborated. The findings of this research confirm the reliability of using TLS and the sliced-based method, as approaches with millimeter-level geometric accuracy, for bridge inspection subjected to precise 3D model extraction, as well as bridge asset management and BrIM development.

Framework for Developing IFC-Based 3D Documentation from 2D Bridge Drawings

Building information modeling (BIM) has been widely accepted in the industry and extensively used in supporting many construction tasks. In the government sector, the USDOT Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has implemented building information modeling (BIM) for bridge construction. Hence, state DOTs are now faced with heightened pressure in complying with the FHWA’s Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) standardization. Although BIM can provide many benefits to DOTs, current BIM-based platforms for bridges are not fully developed to process traditional two-dimensional (2D) bridge drawings for BIM-based computational tasks involving existing bridges, for example cost estimation. Bridges are a critical infrastructure in any nation’s economy, and by law the DOTs are tasked with ensuring that they remain safe for use. To maintain bridges, engineers currently perform periodic inspections, assessing each part of the bridge to identify areas that require maintenance. Maintenance work items are then generated for these areas; these are usually computed traditionally or by systems that still rely heavily on manual inputs. Such processes are time-consuming and cumbersome, and depend on years of bridge technical expertise. To overcome these limitations and improve the accuracy of processes such as generating maintenance work items for bridges, we propose a framework for automatically (1) processing existing 2D bridge drawings for bridges built pre-BIM adoption in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry; (2) converting these record drawings into three-dimensional (3D) information models; and (3) converting 3D information models into industry foundation class (IFC) files. The developed 3D models using the proposed framework were compared against developed 3D models using the state-of-the-art method. Experimental results show that the developed framework can be used in developing algorithms that generate 3D models and IFC output files from portable document format (PDF) bridge drawings in a semiautomated fashion. The proposed method uses 3.33% of the time it takes the current state-of-the-art method to generate a 3D model, and the generated models are of comparative quality.

Digital Twin Technology for Bridge Maintenance using 3D Laser Scanning: A Review

There has been a significant surge in the interest in adopting cutting‐edge new technologies in the civil engineering industry in recent times that monitor the Internet of Things (IoT) data and control automation systems. By combining the real and digital worlds, digital technologies, such as Digital Twin, provide a high‐level depiction of bridges and their assets. The inspection, evaluation, and management of infrastructure have experienced profound changes in technological advancement over the last decade. Technologies like laser scanners have emerged as a viable replacement for labor‐intensive, costly, and dangerous traditional methods that risk health and safety. The new maintenance techniques have increased their use in the construction section, particularly regarding bridges. This review paper aims to present a comprehensive and state‐of‐the‐art review upon using laser scanners in bridge maintenance and engineering and looking deeper into the study field in focus and researchers’ suggestions in this field. Moreover, the review was conducted to gather, evaluate, and analyze the papers collected in the years from 2017 to 2022. The interaction of research networks, dominant subfields, the co‐occurrence of keywords, and countries were all examined. Four main categories were presented, namely machine learning, bridge management system (BMS), bridge information modeling (BrIM), and 3D modeling. The findings demonstrate that information standardization is the first significant obstacle to be addressed before the construction sector can benefit from the usage of Digital Twin. As a result, this article proposes a conceptual framework for building management using Digital Twins as a starting point for future research.