Rebar-to-BIM: Steel Reinforcement Reconstruction for Extended Scan-to-BIM Workflows

Abstract: The creation of BIMs of existing structures has been widely researched, yet mainly covering visible components. For a structural assessment of concrete components, the steel reinforcement contained in the component is as important as the outer dimensions. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) can be used for steel reinforcement imaging. This study will propose a methodology to align 3D reinforcement data with a BIM model, provide a 3D reconstruction of the rebar and present it in an open BIM format. The method will be rigorously evaluated on the basis of two concrete test samples with known location and diameter of the reinforcement.