Automatic identification of rock discontinuity and stability analysis of tunnel rock blocks using terrestrial laser scanning

Local geometric information and discontinuity features are key aspects of the analysis of the evolution and failure mechanisms of unstable rock blocks in rock tunnels.This study demonstrates the integration of terrestrial laser scanning(TLS)with distinct element method for rock mass characterization and stability analysis in tunnels.TLS records detailed geometric information of the surrounding rock mass by scanning and collecting the positions of millions of rock surface points without contact.By conducting a fuzzy K-means method,a discontinuity automatic identification algorithm was developed,and a method for obtaining the geometric parameters of discontinuities was proposed.This method permits the user to visually identify each discontinuity and acquire its spatial distribution features(e.g.occurrences,spac-ings,trace lengths)in great detail.Compared with hand mapping in conventional geotechnical surveys,the geometric information of discontinuities obtained by this approach is more accurate and the iden-tification is more efficient.Then,a discrete fracture network with the same statistical characteristics as the actual discontinuities was generated with the distinct element method,and a representative nu-merical model of the jointed surrounding rock mass was established.By means of numerical simulation,potential unstable rock blocks were assessed,and failure mechanisms were analyzed.This method was applied to detection and assessment of unstable rock blocks in the spillway and sand flushing tunnel of the Hongshiyan hydropower project after a collapse.The results show that the noncontact detection of blocks was more labor-saving with lower safety risks compared with manual surveys,and the stability assessment was more reliable since the numerical model built by this method was more consistent with the distribution characteristics of actual joints.This study can provide a reference for geological survey and unstable rock block hazard mitigation in tunnels subjected to complex geology and active rockfalls.

Structural plane recognition from three-dimensional laser scanning points using an improved region-growing algorithm based on the robust randomized Hough transform

The staggered distribution of joints and fissures in space constitutes the weak part of any rock mass.The identification of rock mass structural planes and the extraction of characteristic parameters are the basis of rock-mass integrity evaluation,which is very important for analysis of slope stability.The laser scanning technique can be used to acquire the coordinate information pertaining to each point of the structural plane,but large amount of point cloud data,uneven density distribution,and noise point interference make the identification efficiency and accuracy of different types of structural planes limited by point cloud data analysis technology.A new point cloud identification and segmentation algorithm for rock mass structural surfaces is proposed.Based on the distribution states of the original point cloud in different neighborhoods in space,the point clouds are characterized by multi-dimensional eigenvalues and calculated by the robust randomized Hough transform(RRHT).The normal vector difference and the final eigenvalue are proposed for characteristic distinction,and the identification of rock mass structural surfaces is completed through regional growth,which strengthens the difference expression of point clouds.In addition,nearest Voxel downsampling is also introduced in the RRHT calculation,which further reduces the number of sources of neighborhood noises,thereby improving the accuracy and stability of the calculation.The advantages of the method have been verified by laboratory models.The results showed that the proposed method can better achieve the segmentation and statistics of structural planes with interfaces and sharp boundaries.The method works well in the identification of joints,fissures,and other structural planes on Mangshezhai slope in the Three Gorges Reservoir area,China.It can provide a stable and effective technique for the identification and segmentation of rock mass structural planes,which is beneficial in engineering practice.

Method for visualizing the shear process of rock joints using 3D laser scanning and 3D printing techniques

This study presents a visualized approach for tracking joint surface morphology.Three-dimensional laser scanning(3DLS)and 3D printing(3DP)techniques are adopted to record progressive failure during rock joint shearing.The 3DP resin is used to create transparent specimens to reproduce the surface morphology of a natural joint precisely.The freezing method is employed to enhance the mechanical properties of the 3DP specimens to reproduce the properties of hard rock more accurately.A video camera containing a charge-coupled device(CCD)camera is utilized to record the evolution of damaged area of joint surface during the direct shear test.The optimal shooting distance and shooting angle are recommended to be 800 mm and 40?,respectively.The images captured by the CCD camera are corrected to quantitatively describe the damaged area on the joint surface.Verification indicates that this method can accurately describe the total sheared areas at different shear stages.These findings may contribute to elucidating the shear behavior of rock joints.

Study on the LAI Single Tree Model Based on Terrestrial Laser Scanning

Leaf area index (LAI) is a key parameter for studying global terrestrial ecology and environment and has great ecological significance. How to accurately measure and calculate structural parameters of trees has become an urgent matter. This paper reports the use of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) as a measurement tool to achieve accurate LAI estimation through point cloud preprocessing measures, the LeWos algorithm, and voxel methods. The accuracy and feasibility of this indirect measurement method were explored. It is found that the single wood structure parameters extracted from TLS have a good linear relationship with manual measurement, and the extraction errors meet the requirements of real-scene conversion. The study also found when the voxel size is consistent with the minimum distance of the point cloud set by TLS instrument, it has a strong correlation with the measured value of canopy analyser. These results lay the foundation for conveniently and quickly obtaining structural parameters of trees, tree growth state detection, and canopy ecological benefit assessment.

Research on 3D Laser Scanning Reconstruction of Ancient Buildings Combined with BIM Technology

After more than 30 years of scientific and social development, surveying and mapping technology by leaps and bounds, engineering surveying technology has undergone tremendous changes. In the process of protecting ancient buildings, it is necessary to obtain the precise dimensions of architectural details. In this study, the path of 3D laser scanning combined with BIM technology is explored. Taking the observation and protection of the ancestral hall of the Liu family as an example, this study aims to draw drawings that reflect the relevant information about the ancient buildings, the accurate three-dimensional model of ancient buildings is established with BIM technology, which provides new methods and ideas for the research and protection of ancient buildings. .

Assessment of handheld mobile terrestrial laser scanning for estimating tree parameters

Sustainable forest management heavily relies on the accurate estimation of tree parameters.Among others,the diameter at breast height(DBH) is important for extracting the volume and mass of an individual tree.For systematically estimating the volume of entire plots,airborne laser scanning(ALS) data are used.The estimation model is frequently calibrated using manual DBH measurements or static terrestrial laser scans(STLS) of sample plots.Although reliable,this method is time-consuming,which greatly hampers its use.Here,a handheld mobile terrestrial laser scanning(HMTLS) was demonstrated to be a useful alternative technique to precisely and efficiently calculate DBH.Different data acquisition techniques were applied at a sample plot,then the resulting parameters were comparatively analysed.The calculated DBH values were comparable to the manual measurements for HMTLS,STLS,and ALS data sets.Given the comparability of the extracted parameters,with a reduced point density of HTMLS compared to STLS data,and the reasonable increase of performance,with a reduction of acquisition time with a factor of5 compared to conventional STLS techniques and a factor of3 compared to manual measurements,HMTLS is considered a useful alternative technique.

Application of Three-Dimensional Laser Scanning and Surveying in Geological Investigation of High Rock Slope

The appearance of 3D laser scanning technology is one of the most important technology revolutions in surveying and mapping field. It can be widely used in many interrelated fields, such as engineering constructions and 3D measurements, owing to its prominent characteristics of the high efficiency and high precision. At present its application is still in the initial state, and it is quite rarely used in China, especially in geotechnical engineering and geological engineering fields. Starting with a general introduction of 3D laser scanning technology, this article studies how to apply the technology to high rock slope investigations. By way of a case study, principles and methods of quick slope documentation and occurrence measurement of discontinuities are discussed and analyzed. Analysis results show that the application of 3D laser scanning technology to geotechnical and geological engineering has a great prospect and value.

Airborne laser scanning of natural forests in New Zealand reveals the influences of wind on forest carbon

Background： Forests are a key component of the global carbon cycle, and research is needed into the effects of human-driven and natural processes on their carbon pools. Airborne laser scanning （ALS） produces detailed 3D maps of forest canopy structure from which aboveground carbon density can be estimated. Working with a ALS dataset collected over the 8049-km2 Wellington Region of New Zealand we create maps of indigenous forest carbon and evaluate the influence of wind by examining how carbon storage varies with aspect. Storms flowing from the west are a common cause of disturbance in this region, and we hypothesised that west-facing forests exposed to these winds would be shorter than those in sheltered east-facing sites. Methods： The aboveground carbon density of 31 forest inventory plots located within the ALS survey region were used to develop estimation models relating carbon density to ALS information. Power-law models using rasters of top-of-the-canopy height were compared with models using tree-level information extracted from the ALS dataset. A forest carbon map with spatial resolution of 25 m was generated from ALS maps of forest height and the estimation models. The map was used to evaluate the influences of wind on forests. Results： Power-law models were slightly less accurate than tree-centric models （RMSE 35% vs 32%） but were selected for map generation for computational efficiency. The carbon map comprised 4.5 million natural forest pixels within which canopy height had been measured by ALS, providing an unprecedented dataset with which to examine drivers of carbon density. Forests facing in the direction of westerly storms stored less carbon, as hypothesised. They had much greater above-ground carbon density for a given height than any of 14 tropical forests previously analysed by the same approach, and had exceptionally high basal areas for their height. We speculate that strong winds have kept forests short without impeding basal area growth. Conclusion： Simple estimation models based on top-of-the canopy height are almost as accurate as state-of-the-art tree-centric approaches, which require more computing power. High-resolution carbon maps produced by ALS provide powerful datasets for evaluating the environmental drivers of forest structure, such as wind.

Real time detection of antibody-antigen interaction using a laser scanning confocal imaging-surface plasmon resonance system

A laser scanning confocal imaging-surface plasmon resonance （LSCI-SPR） instrument integrated with a wavelength-dependent surface plasmon resonance （SPR） sensor and a laser scanning confocal microscopy （LSCM） is built to detect the bonding process of human IgG and fluorescent-labeled affinity purified antibodies in real time. The shifts of resonant wavelength at different reaction time stages are obtained by SPR, corresponding well with the changes of the fluorescence intensity collected by using LSCM. The instrument shows the merits of the combination and complementation of the SPR and LSCM, with such advantages as quantificational analysis, high spatial resolution and real time monitor, which are of great importance for practical applications in biosensor and life science.

Large-scale deformation monitoring in mining area by D-InSAR and 3D laser scanning technology integration

Large-scale deformation can not be detected by traditional D-InSAR technique because of the limit of its detectable deformation gradient,we propose a method that combines SAR data with point cloud data obtained by 3D laser scanning to improve the gradient of deformation detection.The proposed method takes advantage of high-density of 3D laser scanning point cloud data and its high precision of point positioning after 3D modeling.The specifc process can be described as follows:frst,large-scale deformation points in the interferogram are masked out based on interferometric coherence;second,the interferogram with holes is unwrapped to obtain a deformation map with holes,and last,the holes in the deformation map are flled with point cloud data using inverse distance weighting algorithm,which will achieve seamless connection of monitoring region.We took the embankment dam above working face of a certain mining area in Shandong province as an example to study large-scale deformation in mining area using the proposed method.The results show that the maximum absolute error is 64 mm,relative error of maximum subsidence value is 4.95%,and they are consistent with leveling data of ground observation stations,which confrms the feasibility of this method.The method we presented provides new ways and means for achieving large-scale deformation monitoring by D-InSAR in mining area.

Quantification of occlusions influencing the tree stem curve retrieving from single-scan terrestrial laser scanning data

Background: The stem curve of standing trees is an essential parameter for accurate estimation of stem volume.This study aims to directly quantify the occlusions within the single-scan terrestrial laser scanning(TLS) data,evaluate its correlation with the accuracy of the retrieved stem curves, and subsequently, to assess the capacity of single-scan TLS to estimate stem curves.Methods: We proposed an index, occlusion rate, to quantify the occlusion level in TLS data. We then analyzed three influencing factors for the occlusion rate: the percentage of basal area near the scanning center, the scanning distance and the source of occlusions. Finally, we evaluated the effects of occlusions on stem curve estimates from single-scan TLS data.Results: The results showed that the correlations between the occlusion rate and the stem curve estimation accuracies were strong(r = 0.60–0.83), so was the correlations between the occlusion rate and its influencing factors(r = 0.84–0.99). It also showed that the occlusions from tree stems were the main factor of the low detection rate of stems, while the non-stem components mainly influenced the completeness of the retrieved stem curves.Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that the occlusions significantly affect the accuracy of stem curve retrieval from the single-scan TLS data in a typical-size(32 m × 32 m) forest plot. However, the single-scan mode has the capacity to accurately estimate the stem curve in a small forest plot(< 10 m × 10 m) or a plot with a lower occlusion rate, such as less than 35% in our tested datasets. The findings from this study are useful for guiding the practice of retrieving forest parameters using single-scan TLS data.

Experimental Study on Meiotic Spindles and Chromosomes of Mouse Mature (MⅡ) Stage Oocytes under Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy

Taking the mouse as a model, the experimental method of observing the morphology of meiotic spindles and chromosomes in mature oocytes were investigated in order to evaluate the effects of various interventions on the quality of oocytes accurately and rapidly. Laser scanning confocal microscope （LSCM） was used to examine the meiotic spindles and chromosomes by the technologies of optical section and three-dimensional （3D） image reconstruction. The results showed that the configurations of meiotic spindles and chromosomes could be observed clearly by LSCM. The normal rate of meiotic spindles and chromosomes was 82% and 86% respectively. It was concluded that the LSCM was a valid instrument to observe the meiotic spindles and chromosomes of mature oocytes and could be used as a valid method to evaluate the quality of MⅡocytes.

Mapping tree canopies in urban environments using airborne laser scanning (ALS):a Vancouver case study

Background: The distribution of forest vegetation within urban environments is critically important as it influences urban environmental conditions and the energy exchange through the absorption of solar radiation and modulation of evapotranspiration. It also plays an important role filtering urban water systems and reducing storm water runoff.Methods: We investigate the capacity of ALS data to individually detect, map and characterize large(taller than15 m) trees within the City of Vancouver. Large trees are critical for the function and character of Vancouver’s urban forest. We used an object-based approach for individual tree detection and segmentation to determine tree locations(position of the stem), to delineate the shape of the crowns and to categorize the latter either as coniferous or deciduous.Results: Results indicate a detection rate of 76.6% for trees > 15 m with a positioning error of 2.11 m(stem location). Extracted tree heights possessed a RMSE of 2.60 m and a bias of-1.87 m, whereas crown diameter was derived with a RMSE of 3.85 m and a bias of-2.06 m. Missed trees are principally a result of undetected treetops occurring in dense, overlapping canopies with more accurate detection and delineation of trees in open areas.Conclusion: By identifying key structural trees across Vancouver’s urban forests, we can better understand their role in providing ecosystem goods and services for city residents.

Geostructural stability assessment of cave using rock surface discontinuity extracted from terrestrial laser scanning point cloud

The use of terrestrial laser scanning（TLS） in the caves has been growing drastically over the last decade.However, TLS application to cave stability assessment has not received much attention of researchers.This study attempted to utilize rock surface orientations obtained from TLS point cloud collected along cave passages to（1） investigate the influence of rock geostructure on cave passage development, and（2）assess cave stability by determining areas susceptible to different failure types. The TLS point cloud was divided into six parts（Entry hall, Chamber, Main hall, Shaft 1, Shaft 2 and Shaft 3）, each representing different segments of the cave passages. Furthermore, the surface orientation information was extracted and grouped into surface discontinuity joint sets. The computed global mean and best-fit planes of the entire cave show that the outcrop dips 290° with a major north-south strike. But at individual level, the passages with dip angle between 26° and 80° are featured with dip direction of 75°-322°. Kinematic tests reveal the potential for various failure modes of rock slope. Our findings show that toppling is the dominant failure type accounting for high-risk rockfall in the cave, with probabilities of 75.26%, 43.07%and 24.82% in the Entry hall, Main hall and Shaft 2, respectively. Unlike Shaft 2 characterized by high risk of the three failure types（32.49%, 24.82% and 50%）, the chamber and Shaft 3 passages are not suffering from slope failure. The results also show that the characteristics of rock geostructure considerably influence the development of the cave passages, and four sections of the cave are susceptible to different slope failure types, at varying degrees of risk.

Slope excavation quality assessment and excavated volume calculation in hydraulic projects based on laser scanning technology

Slope excavation is one of the most crucial steps in the construction of a hydraulic project. Excavation project quality assessment and excavated volume calculation are critical in construction management. The positioning of excavation projects using traditional instruments is inefficient and may cause error. To improve the efficiency and precision of calculation and assessment, three-dimensional laser scanning technology was used for slope excavation quality assessment. An efficient data acquisition, processing, and management workflow was presented in this study. Based on the quality control indices, including the average gradient, slope toe elevation, and overbreak and underbreak,cross-sectional quality assessment and holistic quality assessment methods were proposed to assess the slope excavation quality with laserscanned data. An algorithm was also presented to calculate the excavated volume with laser-scanned data. A field application and a laboratory experiment were carried out to verify the feasibility of these methods for excavation quality assessment and excavated volume calculation. The results show that the quality assessment indices can be obtained rapidly and accurately with design parameters and scanned data, and the results of holistic quality assessment are consistent with those of cross-sectional quality assessment. In addition, the time consumption in excavation quality assessment with the laser scanning technology can be reduced by 70%e90%, as compared with the traditional method. The excavated volume calculated with the scanned data only slightly differs from measured data, demonstrating the applicability of the excavated volume calculation method presented in this study.

Seamless integration of above-and undercanopy unmanned aerial vehicle laser scanning for forest investigation

Background:Current automated forest investigation is facing a dilemma over how to achieve high tree-and plotlevel completeness while maintaining a high cost and labor efficiency.This study tackles the challenge by exploring a new concept that enables an efficient fusion of aerial and terrestrial perspectives for digitizing and characterizing individual trees in forests through an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)that flies above and under canopies in a single operation.The advantage of such concept is that the aerial perspective from the above-canopy UAV and the terrestrial perspective from the under-canopy UAV can be seamlessly integrated in one flight,thus grants the access to simultaneous high completeness,high efficiency,and low cost.Results:In the experiment,an approximately 0.5 ha forest was covered in ca.10 min from takeoff to landing.The GNSS-IMU based positioning supports a geometric accuracy of the produced point cloud that is equivalent to that of the mobile mapping systems,which leads to a 2–4 cm RMSE of the diameter at the breast height estimates,and a 4–7 cm RMSE of the stem curve estimates.Conclusions:Results of the experiment suggested that the integrated flight is capable of combining the high completeness of upper canopies from the above-canopy perspective and the high completeness of stems from the terrestrial perspective.Thus,it is a solution to combine the advantages of the terrestrial static,the mobile,and the above-canopy UAV observations,which is a promising step forward to achieve a fully autonomous in situ forest inventory.Future studies should be aimed to further improve the platform positioning,and to automatize the UAV operation.

Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope Evaluation of Early Bacterial Colonization on Zirconium Oxide and Titanium Surfaces:An in vivo Study

To investigate the bacterial colonization on zirconium oxide and titanium surfaces in vivo quantitatively using a confocal laser scanning microscope （CLSM）. Ten samples of zirconium oxide ceramic and commercially pure titanium were fabricated and polished using silicon carbide abrasive paper. One sample from each group was evaluated topographic pattern under a scanning electron microscope. One sample from each group was to evaluate roughness using a profilometer. Eight volunteers were selected. The samples were cemented at the buccal surfaces of upper first molars. All samples were removed after 48 hours, immersed in SYTO-9 and propidium iodide fluorescent to stain for adherent bacteria and obseIved with CLSM. Fewer bacteria were observed in zirconia group than titanium group. However, there was no statistical difference between two groups. The experimental results demonstrate that zirconium oxide may be considered as a promising material for dental implant abutments.

Using mixed integer programming and airborne laser scanning to generate forest management units

Airborne laser scanning(ALS)has been widely applied to estimate tree and forest attributes,but it can also drive the segmentation of forest areas.Clustering algorithms are the dominant technique in segmentation but spatial optimization using exact methods remains untested.This study presents a novel approach to segmentation based on mixed integer programming to create forest management units(FMUs).This investigation focuses on using raster information derived from ALS surveys.Two mainstream clustering algorithms were compared to the new MIP formula that simultaneously accounts for area and adjacency restrictions,FMUs size and homogeneity in terms of vegetation height.The optimal problem solution was found when using less than 150 cells,showing the problem formulation is solvable.The results for MIP were better than for the clustering algorithms;FMUs were more compact based on the intravariation of canopy height and the variability in size was lower.The MIP model allows the user to strictly control the size of FMUs,which is not possible in heuristic optimization and in the clustering algorithms tested.The definition of forest management units based on remote sensing data is an important operation and our study pioneers the use of MIP ALS-based optimal segmentation.

Research on wind erosion processes and controlling factors based on wind tunnel test and 3D laser scanning technology

The study of wind erosion processes is of great importance to the prevention and control of soil wind erosion.In this study,three structurally intact soil samples were collected from the steppe of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,China and placed in a wind tunnel where they were subjected to six different wind speeds(10,15,17,20,25,and 30 m/s)to simulate wind erosion in the wind tunnel.After each test,the soil surfaces were scanned by a 3D laser scanner to create a high-resolution Digital Elevation Model(DEM),and the changes in wind erosion mass and microtopography were quantified.Based on this,we performed further analysis of wind erosion-controlling factors.The study results showed that the average measurement error between the 3D laser scanning method and weighing method was 6.23%for the three undisturbed soil samples.With increasing wind speed,the microtopography on the undisturbed soil surface first became smooth,and then fine stripes and pits gradually developed.In the initial stage of wind erosion processes,the ability of the soil to resist wind erosion was mainly affected by the soil hardness.In the late stage of wind erosion processes,the degree of soil erosion was mainly affected by soil organic matter and CaCO_(3)content.The results of this study are expected to provide a theoretical basis for soil wind erosion control and promote the application of 3D laser scanners in wind erosion monitoring.

A Study of Precision Factors of Large-scale Object Surface Profile Laser Scanning Measurement

In this paper, we presented a method of using the l as er scanning triangulation for the non-contact 3D surface profile measurement of large-scale object. The characteristic of large-scale object non-contact mea surement is analyzed and the measuring method is proposed. Main factors influenc ing measurement precision such as image distortion and accurate designation of s peckle center are analyzed and methods of solving these problems are proposed. W e designed a combined filter by which the pulse noise and the Gaussian noise of speckle image can be eliminated efficiently. Using the characteristic of intensi ty distribution of laser speckle image we proposed a new approximating method th at could locate the center of laser speckle image at sub-pixel. The auxiliary v ariables are set to linearize the relationship between the image displacement an d the distance, the accurate values of laser triangulation system parameters cou ld be calibrated accurately and the measuring precision is increased remarkabl y. Using the above techniques we designed a measuring system based on laser sc anning triangulation. The results of the experiment show that these methods can raise the measuring precision of large-scale 3D surface profile effectively.