A defect management system for reinforced concrete work utilizing BIM, image-matching and augmented reality

Abstract

The repeated and inevitable occurrence of defects remains one of the primary causes of project schedule and cost overruns in construction. Currently, quality management on site is done by site managers through their visual senses. However, it is often challenging for a handful of site managers to perform quality management efficiently for an entire site based on inspected progress of construction works. As a consequence, inspections are often omitted, resulting in faulty construction and quality degradation which may necessitate rework. This may adversely affect project costs and schedule. This paper addresses these issues by utilizing BIM, image-matching, and augmented reality (AR) to develop two types of defect management systems including: 1) an image-matching system to enable quality inspection without visiting the real work site; and 2) a mobile DM-AR app which enables workers and managers to automatically detect dimension errors and omissions on the jobsite. The two systems are tested and evaluated by lab and site experiments for reinforcement concrete (RC) work to assess the benefits and limitations. Experimental results demonstrate the defect management system's effectiveness in automatic omission and error detection at real job sites. The study emphasizes the potential applicability of BIM, image-matching, and AR technologies that could be utilized to improve construction defect management. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.