Utilizing Building Information Modeling and Visual Programming for Segment Design and Composition

Segment design and composition is a vital procedure for controlling the deviations between segment rings and a designed tunnel axis (DTA) to guarantee tunnel quality in the design stage. The novel design technology known as building information modeling (BIM) has been proved to have great potential to make up for the shortcomings of traditional design methods. This paper proposes a new approach to address the challenges connected with implementing segment design and composition using BIM technology, as well as enabling the automatic generation of a tunnel information model. An integrated framework for segment design and composition is presented, which leverages BIM functionalities to create information models and visualize design schemes and also visual programming language (VPL) functionalities to manipulate BIM elements, embed assembly constraints, and process data. To ensure the proposed approach in full accordance with segment assembly requirements, the key parameters of segment rings closely related to tunnel design quality are analyzed, and the assembly constraints are first described through three planes (the back, front, and ring center planes of each segment ring). To ensure efficiency and applicability, the proposed approach presents a seamless design workflow and involves a novel composing algorithm that is applicable to arbitrary DTAs and that can efficiently calculate the composing scheme meeting assembly constraints. It also supports the design optimization of segment parameters using the enumeration method. Finally, the proposed approach for segment design and composition is verified by implementing the successful transfer from several design alternatives of a tunnel project to a tunnel information model.