BIM and parametric design
Parametric design
Arthe Civil & Structure has been developing and using parametric design tools since 2009. There are two fields of work: Automated Engineering and Generative Design, where the former mainly improves efficiency, and the latter actually helps to make better designs.
Automated engineering
In the field of automated engineering, the emphasis lies on automating design processes. Tools are developed which can make multiple design calculations in a short time.
Especially in early stages of a project, such as a tender phase or early in the design, thanks to automatic interpretation of CPTs (possibly already modified to the project-specific soil classification) and road alignments, a geotechnical longitudinal profile can be generated in a short period, or for the complete route an estimation can be made quickly to identify possible (residual) settlement problems, and correspondingly to which locations the engineer should focus his or her attention.
Automated engineering can also be applied in later stages, for example when dimensioning and calculating anchor piles for an open tunnel.
It is of great importance that there is always a skilled engineer behind the controls, who critically checks and reviews the results and all intermediate steps. Because in the end, all calculation tools have one thing in common: rubbish in = rubbish out.
Generative Design
Within the area of generative design, the emphasis is not on quickly performing a design calculation for multiple problems, but quickly exploring many different possible solutions for the same problem.
An example of this is the design of a piled embankment system (pile matrasses). The center-to-center distances of the foundation piles, dimensions of the pile caps, the installation level, the strength of the geosynthetic longitudinal and perpendicular reinforcement, and the thickness and properties of the mattress (filling) can be varied.
While an automated engineering tool determines the required strengths for all cross-sections in a short time based on the established starting points, the generative design tool is applied one step earlier in the design process.
With the generative design tool, a multitude of possibilities are explored in a short time, in which all variables are explored, within a predetermined bandwidth. All kinds of grid sizes, dimensions of pile caps, construction levels, etc. are tested in various combinations, and the output is therefore not one solution, but a range of possible solutions and can be valued on specified criteria defined by the designer.
The designer selects one or more variants from this group of solutions that can be further elaborated, possibly with the aid of an automated engineering tool.
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