Son, J; Mattila, K G and Myers, D S (2005) Determination of haul distance and direction in mass excavation. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 131(3), pp. 302-309. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Currently, construction professionals can easily determine the amount of cut and fill on a mass excavation project, but can only make an educated and intuitive guess as to the required minimum haul distances and the directions to move the earth. This paper develops a mathematical optimization model for the determination of these minimum haul distances and directions. The two-dimensional model presented uses linear programming. An example of how this generic model works is detailed in this paper. Necessary inputs are the cut and fill quantities and the location of these on the site. With this mathematical model, the quantity of earth hauled, the minimum haul distances, and the locations to haul the material are determined. The solution is then made into a vector diagram detailing the quantity and direction to move material that can be used by nontechnical personnel in the field. The formulation presented in this paper will assist construction professionals by providing a method to find an optimal solution to the mass earthmoving problem. A pilot user interface is tested to investigate the possible use of an automated input system to reduce input error.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | computer applications; earthmoving; excavation; linear programming; optimization |
| Index terms: | user interface, personnel, mathematical model, excavation, computer application, linear programming, earthmoving, construction professional |
| Subjects: | construction operations, mathematical modelling, human-computer interaction, professional development, management, algorithms, software systems |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Information Management, Engineering Principles, Site Management, Digital Applications, Human Resources |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here