A Model-Based Systems Engineering Framework for Reassessing Structural Capacity Integrating Health Monitoring Data

Abstract

The reassessment of structural capacity is critical to maintain the safety, serviceability, and sustainability of ageing civil engineering infrastructure. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) allows in situ measurements to be incorporated into structural models, updating the performance and reliability estimation based on available information. Digital Twins can be used to capture the behaviour of the system in the real world as live data and make use of rich sensorial data flow from the structural system. However, the growing complexity of multi-domain models, as well as decision-making and stakeholder interactions, makes it necessary to implement a structured modelling framework. This paper proposes a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) framework that incorporates an MBSE layer to coordinate model dependencies, correlate important parameters, and enforce traceability between measurement data, probabilistic assessment, and decision-making. Illustrated with a prototype application to an idealised case study of a bridge, this paper describes how using MBSE as a scalable, adaptive, and comprehensive framework can help enable data-driven structural reassessment. The work illustrates that MBSE can be used in civil engineering processes across multi-disciplinary departments to benefit the system lifecycle over time and identifies areas of further research required before the approach can be adopted for large-scale, real-world infrastructure.