BIM-to-FEM: Development of a Software Tool to Increase the Operational Efficiency of Dam Construction Projects

As the geotechnical engineering profession progresses into the era of Building Information Modelling (BIM), projects are requiring an efficient integration of numerical simulations into the BIM workflow. However, there still exists some large hurdles concerning the interchange of information between BIM software and numerical analysis software. The embankment settlement tool presented in this paper addresses these challenges by developing a multi-functional Python interface to link data sources from the geotechnical Finite Element Method (FEM) code Plaxis 2D and the alignment design software ProVI. The capabilities of the script are demonstrated based on a dam construction project executed in Germany, where the time-discrete analysis of settlements is of high interest in order to ensure a high level of collaborative efficiency between design and execution teams. The multi-functional Python interface improves the quality and the effectiveness of numerical predictions, not only during the design phase but also, and in particular, during the construction of dam construction projects. Moreover, it resolves typical difficulties in establishing BIM-to-FEM links.