A methodological proposal for supporting structural assessment of historic timber floors based on terrestrial laser scanner point clouds

This paper aims to assess the structural integrity of historic timber floors by leveraging 3D data obtained from Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS). This approach offers a highly automated method for extracting the various structural components of timber floors. Key elements of the workflow include the construction rules used to build the slabs and the spatial information derived from the point clouds. Together, these enable the accurate identification and segmentation of each floor beam, along with several geometry-related parameters. These parameters include maximum deflection, inflection points (which critically influence beam-end connection performance), and the second moment of area for each beam. This methodology has been applied during inspection tasks at the convent of Nuestra Señora de Gracia in Ávila, Spain. The results demonstrate the method’s efficiency, enabling the rapid processing of numerous beams. Additionally, it proves to be a valuable tool for diagnosing the floor’s structural condition. The extracted parameters can also reduce uncertainties during numerical analysis of the beams. • Structural assessment of historic timber floors is enriched by using TLS point clouds • The automated segmentation procedures use relative-position and constructive rules • The extracted data can be used to evaluate the real stiffness of connections • The use of non-destructive techniques allows decision-taking on structures • A quick evaluation of the beam’s SLS can be performed from data