Pons, O; Casanovas-Rubio, M M; Armengou, J and De La Fuente, A (2021) Sustainability-driven decision-making model: Case study of fiber-reinforced concrete foundation piles. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 147(10): 04021116, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Currently, foundation piles for inhabited areas are often constructed using a continuous flight auger, which is a cost- and time-efficient technology that does not require stabilization of the borehole wall; the steel bar reinforcement is embedded after the concrete has been poured. However, this reinforcement operation can lead to severe construction and structural issues. Thus, several improvements to this technology have been proposed since its first application in the 20th century, such as the use of more fluid concretes. Nevertheless, steel and polymers are emerging as a potential replacement for steel bars in concrete reinforcement for several types of structures and building components, with identified and quantified benefits from a sustainability perspective. Accordingly, this paper proposes and validates a multicriteria decision-making approach designed with multidisciplinary experts within the construction field to assess the sustainability index of concrete pile foundations. The results of a case study enable us to conclude that polymeric fiber-reinforced concrete piles are the most sustainable due to their cost-structural efficiency ratio, high durability, and minimal risks during construction. Steel fiber-reinforced concrete alternatives were also found to be more sustainable than traditional reinforced concrete. Nonetheless, these results are unrepresentative of the current practice as direct costs were found to be the main driver in the decision-making processes, while other costs and both environmental and social indicators are disregarded. This justifies the urgency to provide sustainability-driven decision-making approaches capable of objectively quantifying the satisfaction degree of economic, environmental, and social indicators involved in the analysis.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | aided decision making; foundation piles; integrated model for assessing the sustainability value of structures; steel fibers; sustainability; synthetic fibers |
| Index terms: | efficiency, integrated model, direct cost, case study, satisfaction, durability, decision-making process, reinforcement, stabilization, pile foundation, borehole, decision-making, reinforced concrete, fibre-reinforced concrete, building component, replacement |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, materials science, building materials, material degradation and durability, economic analysis, analytical methods, project delivery, performance management, economics, structural engineering, architectural elements, water management, decision analysis |
| Topics: | Risk Management, Sustainability, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Project Management, Research Practice, Construction Materials, Engineering Principles, Information Management, Design Practice, Quality Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
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