From Point Cloud Data to Digital Twin: a Semi-automated Procedure for Generating FEM and BIM Models of Historical Structures
摘要
Many of the latest techniques and strategies for the maintenance and restoration of historic structures rely on the use of digital twins, which enables two-way real-time interactions between real objects and models. Several approaches have been proposed in the literature for digital twinning of existing structures. Among them, some approaches exploit photogrammetry via Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and/or Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) surveys to collect the geometry and construction details of the historic structures under evaluation. The Finite Element (FE) method is often used in these approaches to discretize the numerical models defined for structural assessment purposes. When available, data from Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems are adopted for fine-tuning and continuous updating of these models, thus enabling the numerical simulation of their actual structural response. Historical Building Information Modeling (HBIM) environments are also frequently considered to build databases collecting information about the buildings and ensuring coordination among the entities involved in retrofit interventions. However, a robust methodology that links these approaches ensuring automation between processes and information exchange is lacking in the literature. This paper contributes to filling this research gap by proposing a semi-automated procedure for the creation of digital twins of historical structures starting from the processing of point clouds from UAV/TLS survey campaigns and aiming to establish an exchange of information between the HBIM environment, the FE models, and the SHM system. A case study application is also presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed procedure.