BIM Technical Office for steel bridge rehabilitation

Description

CESMA Ingenieros hired Modelical to develop the BIM model of a historic steel bridge located in Blanca, Murcia (Spain).

The steel bridge, built in the 1930s, has progressively deteriorated after decades of structural load, corrosion and environmental exposure.
Visible deformations in several metallic elements required a detailed understanding of the bridge’s actual condition before defining a consistent rehabilitation strategy.

The objective of the project was to develop a reliable BIM model that reconstructs the bridge’s original geometry and serves as a technical reference for rehabilitation works.
This approach was based on reality capture of the asset’s current condition and analysis of its structural deformations.

Modelical’s Services

The project was delivered by a team of three civil engineers and completed within one month, covering the full workflow from scanning to the development of a validated model.

The scope of services included:

• Reality capture and 360° photography to obtain a highly reliable point cloud and complementary visual information
• Advanced structural modelling in Tekla Structures, starting with parametric design and progressing to manual detailing to create a precise digital model of the historic asset
• Comparative analysis between point cloud and BIM model, to detect deformations, deviations, and ensuring model precision.
• Development of a digital inventory of structural elements, supporting planning, budgeting, and project control

Project Technical Challenges

• Translating a deformed point cloud into a coherent theoretical structural model, avoiding the replication of existing distortions
• Reconstructing the bridge’s original geometry through the analysis of scan data, 360° imagery, and field observations applying a parametric approach
• Modelling historic riveted joints not available as standard components in Tekla Structures
• Ensuring alignment between the theoretical model and actual conditions without introducing systematic geometric errors
• Performing model-to-cloud deviation analysis in Cyclone deformed structural elements through heat map comparison.

Benefits

CESMA lacked a reliable basis to assess the bridge’s ageing conditions and prioritise rehabilitation interventions.

Modelical delivered a complete and validated structural model of the bridge, including all main components, providing CESMA with a reliable digital reference for rehabilitation planning.

Parametric reconstruction of the bridge combined with model-to-cloud comparison enabled the identification of structural deformations through heat maps, making this information available for supporting the prioritisation of actions.

Combining Digital Technologies and Engineering Expertise for ageing Steel Bridge BIM Modelling

Historic steel bridges and steel infrastructure present significant rehabilitation challenges due to material ageing, structural deformation, and non-standard construction techniques.

To support delivery teams, Modelical has developed a comprehensive workflow integrating point cloud processing, parametric modelling, and deformation analysis.
This approach enables the generation of complete, reconstructed, and validated BIM models of steel infrastructure for rehabilitation projects.

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