Laser-based finite element model reconstruction for structural mechanics

It is imperative to know the health condition of a structure during its service life. The development of laser scanning technology has created new opportunities to leverage high-resolution 3D laser scanning (3DLS) as a non-destructive evaluation tool for detailed geometrical information extracted for the creation of precise computational models. However, the workflow associated with this integration is indirect and presents challenges. The existing scan-to-model strategies use completely scanning data to generate a new finite element model (FEM), leading to excessive computational costs, especially if nonlinear analysis is required. In view of this, this study creates a pathway for a direct scan-to-model strategy suitable for translating condition data derived from a 3D laser scanning system into a FEM capable of describing the mechanical response of the component. Then, based on the scan-to-model strategy, a localized pathway to automatically identify the damaged parts and locally update the FEM is proposed. Instead of generating a new FEM of the damaged component, only the damaged parts are updated, which can reduce the computation cost. After that, the pathways were validated through laboratory-scale tensile testing using 3D Digital Image Correlation (3D-DIC), which enabled full-field deformation characterization and correlation with numerical model prediction. Results of this study provide the foundation of a computational framework for establishing the fundamental link between visually observable geometric and numerical models that engineers use to understand the performance of engineered systems. (C) 2022 Author(s).

Automated summary

Knowing the health condition of a structure during its service life is essential. This study explores the use of high-resolution 3D laser scanning as a non-destructive evaluation tool to create precise computational models. A direct scan-to-model strategy is proposed, along with a localized pathway to update only the damaged parts of the finite element model, reducing computational costs. The pathways are validated through laboratory-scale tensile testing and provide a foundation for establishing the link between visually observable geometric and numerical models used by engineers to understand system performance.