Automated spacing measurement of formwork system members with 3D point cloud data

The formwork system belonging to the temporary structure plays an important role in the smooth progress and successful completion of a construction project. Ensuring that the formwork system is installed as designed is essential for construction safety and quality. The current way to measure the spacing between formwork system members is mostly done using manual measuring tools. This research proposes a framework to measure the spacing of formwork system members using 3D point cloud data to enhance the automation of this quality inspection. The novelty is not only in the integration of the different techniques used but in the detection and measurement of key members in the formwork system without human intervention. The proposed framework was tested on a real construction site. Five cases were investigated to compare the 3D point cloud data approach to the manual approach with traditional measuring tools. The results indicate that the 3D point cloud data approach is a promising solution and can potentially be an effective alternative to the manual approach.