Page 185 - Forensic Structural Engineering Handbook

5.18 ENGINEERING RESPONSE TO FAILURES

FIGURE 5.12 3D laser scanning of a ramp collapse following a fuel truck explosion in
Oakland CA. (Photo courtesy of Tony Grissim of Leica Geosystems.)

FIGURE 5.13 Image of a 3D “point cloud” generated by a 3D laser scan of a bridge. (Courtesy
of Professor Bahram Ravani and Dr. Ty A. Lasky. Copyright © AHMCT Research Center,
University of California-Davis.)

Some 3D laser scans are photorealistic and can be used as a means of remote inspection
of structures, as was done using the image in Fig. 5.14. A 3D model can also be used as the
geometric basis for a structural analysis model. The laser data can be exported to finite ele-
ment software, where it can be meshed and analyzed. This can be a time-saving approach