Development of BIM-Based Bridge Maintenance System Considering Maintenance Data Schema and Information System

Due to the significant increase in the age of infrastructure globally, maintenance of existing structures has been prioritized over the construction of new structures, which are very costly. However, many infrastructure facilities have not been managed efficiently due to a lack of well-trained staff and budget limitations. Bridge management systems (BMSs) have been constructed and operated globally to maintain the originally designed structural performance and to overcome the inefficiency of maintenance practices for existing bridges. Unfortunately, because most of the current BMSs are based on 2D information systems, bridge maintenance data and information are not utilized effectively for bridge management. To overcome these problems, studies of BMSs based on building information modeling (BIM) have significantly increased in number. Most previous studies have proposed comprehensive frameworks containing approximate and limited information for maintenance to utilize BIM technology. Moreover, the utilization level of the maintenance information is less efficient because detailed information regarding safety diagnosis and maintenance are not included in data formats that are interpretable by computer algorithms. Therefore, in this study, a BIM-based BMS, including detailed information relating to safety diagnosis and maintenance, was constructed for the sustainability of bridge maintenance. To consider detailed information in the BMS, a maintenance data schema and its information system were established via the compilation of detailed information for safety diagnosis, repair and strengthening, remaining life, and valuation. In addition, a web data management program (WDMP) was developed using the maintenance data schema and information system, and was connected with the Midas CIM, which is a 3D modeling program. Finally, a prototype of the proposed BMS was established for an actual bridge in Korea. The proposed BMS in this study may be expected to improve the existing management practices for maintenance, and to reduce maintenance cost and information loss.