A Master Digital Model for Suspension Bridges

Abstract

Long-span suspension bridges require accumulated design and construction technologies owing to challenging environmental conditions and complex engineering practices. Building information modeling (BIM) is a technique used to federate essential data on engineering knowledge regarding cable-supported bridges. In this study, a BIM-based master digital model that uses a data-driven design for multiple purposes is proposed. Information requirements and common data environments are defined considering international BIM standards. A digital inventory for a suspension bridge is created using individual algorithm-based models, and an alignment-based algorithm is used to systematize them and generate the entire bridge system. After assembling the geometrical model, metadata and various BIM applications are linked to create the federated master model, from which the mechanical model is derived for further stages. During the construction stage, the advantage of this digital model lies in its capability to perform efficient revisions and updates with respect to varying situations during the erection process. Stability analyses of the bridge system can be performed continuously at each erection step while considering the geometric control simulation. Furthermore, finite element analysis models for any individual structural member can be extracted from the master digital model, which is aimed at estimating the actual behavior of bridge members. In addition, a pilot master digital model was generated and applied to an existing suspension bridge; this model exhibited significant potential in terms of bridge data generation and manipulation.