Experimental and analytical geodetic accuracy assessment of terrestrial laser scanning for deformation monitoring under static and dynamic conditions

Abstract Recent advances in three-dimensional (3D) measurement technologies have significantly improved the capability of monitoring the structural deformation. Among these technologies, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) has emerged as a powerful geodetic tool capable of rapidly acquiring dense 3D point clouds with millimeter-level accuracy. However, the reliability of TLS for high-precision deformation monitoring requires comprehensive experimental and analytical validation and assessment under both static and dynamic measurement conditions. This study presents a detailed experimental and analytical evaluation of the geometric accuracy of TLS observations for structural deformation monitoring. A series of controlled experiments were conducted to assess the accuracy of coordinates, distances and angular measurements derived from TLS by comparing them with reference observations obtained using a high-precision total station. The capability of TLS to detect small structural displacements was also investigated through controlled horizontal, vertical and inclined movements measured using a digital accurate vernier device. Furthermore, the influence of tripod-induced vibrations on TLS measurement accuracy was examined under different vibration frequencies and amplitudes in order to simulate dynamic field conditions. The practical applicability of TLS in structural health monitoring was also demonstrated through a real industrial case study involving the geometric assessment and inclination analysis of a vertical cylindrical oil storage tank located in Ras – Gharib city, Egypt. The experimental results indicate that TLS can detect structural displacements with discrepancies ranging between 0.78 and 2.16 mm compared with reference measurements, while vibration effects can introduce distance variations of up to 4.1 mm and horizontal angular deviations reaching approximately 100 arc-seconds under several vibration conditions. These results provide practical insights into the capabilities and operational limitations of TLS technology and support its effective application in structural deformation monitoring and precision engineering surveying.