BIM-based framework for in-plant quality control of precast concrete manufacturing

Precast concrete (PC) elements bring benefits such as high quality and shortened lane closures to transportation infrastructure construction. However, quality deficiencies during in-plant manufacturing can undermine the expected benefits and lead to excessive repair and maintenance costs. Current quality control (QC) practice relies heavily on manual and sporadic inspections, which are time consuming and error prone. Additionally, the paper-based documentation practice isolates quality management within each project lifecycle stage. Prior studies have explored building information modeling (BIM) for autonomous and intelligent quality assessment in precast manufacturing. However, a mechanism for sharing the QC data between/among in-plant activities and subsequent lifecycle stages is lacking. This study introduces a BIM-based dynamic QC framework for in-plant quality management of precast transportation infrastructure elements. An expandable BIM is developed to incorporate additional attributes as the project progresses, facilitating the accumulation of quality data from various QC activities. An Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) template is created to implement the expandable BIM and store the accumulated quality data through IFC extension. As a nonproprietary BIM data format, IFC provides seamless interoperability between different BIM software and enables across-stage data sharing. A case study of precast mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls is conducted to demonstrate the viability of the newly designed QC framework. The results show that the designed IFC template can store the QC data generated in the precast manufacturing process, thus enabling an expandable BIM for data accumulation and sharing with subsequent lifecycle stages. The resulting IFC template can overcome the interoperability challenge and can be directly adopted by precast plants where BIM has been implemented. This framework aligns with the global trends of construction digitalization and Construction 4.0 by enabling holistic quality management for precast transportation projects.