Semi-automated Creation of Accurate FE Meshes of Heritage Masonry Walls from Point Cloud Data

Abstract

The structural analysis of buildings requires accurate spatial models. Additionally, spatial information on pathologies such as settlement-induced damage is paramount in the assessment of heritage assets. This spatial information is used as a basis for Finite Element Methods (FEM) to evaluate the stability of the structure. Traditional data acquisition approaches rely on manual measurements which are labor intensive and error prone. Therefore, major simplifications are made to document structures efficiently. The goal of this research is to provide faster and more accurate procedures to capture the spatial information required by a Finite Element (FE) mesh. This paper presents a semi-automated approach to create accurate models of complex heritage buildings for the purpose of structural analysis. By employing remote sensing techniques such as terrestrial laser scanning and photogrammetry, a complex mesh of the structure is created. Also, a methodology is proposed to capture crack information. A stepwise approach is elaborated to illustrate how the spatial information is adapted towards a FE mesh. The results show a significant difference between the geometry of our model and a traditional wire-frame model. Not only does accurate modelling result in deviating loads, it also affects the behavior of the object. Through the proposed approach, experts can develop highly accurate FE meshes to assess the stability of the structure up to as-built conditions and taking into account existing damage patterns.