BIM-based preassembly analysis for design for manufacturing and assembly of prefabricated bridges

Prefabricated structures have garnered attention in bridge construction owing to their advantages in quality control, cost-effectiveness, and ability to save time. However, assembling prefabricated structures often leads to critical errors that are only discovered during the actual assembly on the construction site. These errors arise from the absence of an effective preassembly verification method, compounded by the inherent fabrication deviation of the different suppliers of prefabricated components. To address this challenge, this paper introduces a novel approach involving the integration of the design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA) principles and parametric building information modeling (BIM) to develop a preassembly analysis system (PAS). The DfMA methodology enables a seamless information exchange throughout the design-fabrication-assembly process and facilitates a comprehensive analysis of the assemblability of prefabricated structures based on design and fabrication deviation data. Data-driven BIM modeling is leveraged to incorporate the DfMA requirements into the BIM model through customized data templates and user-defined parameters. The PAS is validated through a case study focused on a prefabricated bridge, wherein the potential assembly errors of girders and coupling of decks and girders are examined based on the accumulated fabrication deviation of the connection parts, such as shear pockets and shear connectors. The results demonstrate the efficacy of the PAS in identifying and mitigating assembly errors. Ultimately, this study presents a crucial step toward automated assembly-aware fabrication and lays the foundation for the integration of DfMA and parametric BIM, which enables an enhanced information exchange and reduces onsite assembly errors during prefabricated bridge construction.