Applicability and analysis of the results of non-contact methods in determining the vertical displacements of timber beams

Abstract

Determining the displacements and consequent deformations of structures is a demanding branch of engineering. Displacements are most often determined by geodetic methods, among which high-precision non-contact methods have recently taken the lead. Engineering geodesy is an indispensable part of construction projects. In the desire for efficient and fast measurements, the technology of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and the use of robotic total station (RTS) and other geodetic methods are becoming more and more useful for engineers. In the presented study, we focused on the measurement and comparison of vertical displacements with various mentioned equipment and the determination of the influence of meteorological conditions on the displacements of timber beams that we used to perform the experiment. Measurements were performed both in the laboratory and outdoors. A novelty in the work was the use of a TLS scanner to determine the evaluation of small value displacements and the analysis of the usability of geodetic measuring equipment. In the Materials and Methods section, we describe the equipment used and the characteristics of the beams. The Results section describes the experimental outcomes, which include the performance of experimental analysis of vertical displacements of timber beams under different meteorological conditions. Altogether, the results consist of geodetic measurements and the processing of measured data. The results of measurements of vertical displacements with a terrestrial laser scanner were compared with the results obtained with a robotic total station were evaluated and compared with the displacements calculated from static analysis and the results of other methods used.