Construction and Steel Structure

This paper investigated the feasibility of utilizing building information modeling (BIM) in modeling structural health monitoring (SHM) system elements such as SHM sensors and their optimal placement in a building. A case study building was modeled in Revit structure 2016 with all its specifications and then exported to ETABS (Extended 3D Analysis of Building Systems) for structural analysis purpose to identify the effective locations for installing SHM sensors such as strain sensors. The model was then imported to Revit to update the Revit model. Strain sensors were modeled in Revit with all their essential parameters and were placed in their designated locations in the building model. The sensor models were validated in an external visualization tool namely solibri model viewer using industry foundation class (IFC) type file of the Revit model to demonstrate whether the virtual sensors in Revit are recognized by external tools as an IFC element. It is intended that these integrated environment could be used as the basis for integration of BIM and SHM to have an effective real-time monitoring system for smart environment.