A BIM-Based Numerical Simulation Framework for Tunnels Under Complex Geological Conditions

Large infrastructures such as tunnels usually involve complex, integrated, and multi-risk systems, which requires a thorough project designing, construction monitoring and operation management throughout the lifetime. Building information modelling (BIM) and numerical modelling are both beneficial tools for the optimization and decision-making of engineering projects. However, there lacks a framework to combine these two models and to exchange real-time data between them. In this study, a numerical simulation workflow based on BIM is proposed for tunnels, which is not only able to convert three-dimensional parametric geometry models in BIM projects into numerical models, but also able to define material properties for each part of tunnels automatically according to BIM information. The finite element method (FEM) is adopted for numerical simulations, and the numerical model is constructed by automatically generated commands in commercial finite element software packages. First, a detailed tunnel model integrated with geological information, including geographic data, borehole data, and geological profiles, is developed as a BIM project. Then, considering complex geological conditions such as faults, Python codes are programmed for the pre-treatment of numerical models to reduce repetitive manual operations and to improve the simulation efficiency by extracting multi-scale model data. Finally, a case study of Tunnel Angath in Austria is provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed framework. The coupled BIM-FEM framework offers a fundamental process for automatic design-to-analysis, and can be used for real-time structural calculation for decision-making.