Voxel-based structural monitoring model for building structures using terrestrial laser scanning

• Published in: Journal of Building Engineering 2023-12, Vol.80, p.108151, Article 108151
• Main Authors: Park, Sangwook, Ma, Jong Won
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Large-scale buildings; Structural monitoring; Terrestrial laser scanning; Voxel-based data processing
• ISSN: 2352-7102; 2352-7102
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jobe.2023.108151

This study presents a structural monitoring model for building structures using Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS). The model includes three phases for data collection, processing, and structural assessment, integrating a voxel-based data processing approach with polynomial regression to estimate structural responses. To investigate the influence of voxel size on estimating responses, several voxel structures were generated, each utilizing a uniform voxel size with voxel sizes ranging from 10 mm to 40 mm. The effectiveness of this proposed model was examined on a large-scale, two-story steel building under gravity and lateral loads. The estimated results demonstrated reasonable agreement with reference data, particularly at higher drift levels. Despite environmental challenges, such as obstacles and blind spots, the regression method effectively mitigated data gaps. This research indicates the viability of TLS as an efficient and effective contactless alternative for structural assessment in terms of speed and accuracy. Future advancements in laser scanning technology could further enhance data density and precision, thus extending the applicability of the model to larger-scale projects. •The proposed model can estimate the displacement of steel frames without the need for additional sensors.•A large-scale experiment was conducted to verify the efficacy of the model, accounting for up to 5.0 % interstory drift.•Voxel sizes ranging from 10 mm to 40 mm proved effective in estimating structural responses.•A polynomial regression approach effectively compensated for missing points due to occluded regions in building frames.