Wang, Z; Jia, L; Lv, J and Huang, J (2024) Minimization of rebar cutting waste using BIM and cutting pattern-oriented multiobjective optimization. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 150(11): 04024166, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Rebars are among the main materials used in reinforced concrete structures and among the costliest and most carbon-intensive construction materials. However, during the construction phase, rebar cutting schemes are usually not rationalized enough and may lead to up to 8% waste. Previous studies and practices showed that obtaining data on rebar cutting can be labor intensive and imprecise, lacking the profiling of quantity take-off factors. Additionally, existing optimization techniques often do not adequately consider field characteristics, such as the number of cutting patterns and the scale of the problem, and the characteristics of the cutting data. This study proposes a practical, integrated approach for minimizing rebar cutting waste during the construction phase. The proposed approach consists of two main parts. The first part is obtaining rebar cutting data based on building information modeling (BIM). In this paper, the main influencing factors of rebar quantity take-off are analyzed, and the modeling hierarchy is divided based on these factors to obtain accurate cutting data. The hierarchy also reflects repeatable commonalities between different rebar systems, which helps reduce repetitive modeling efforts and increase efficiency. In the second part, a cutting pattern-oriented multiobjective optimization method is proposed to optimize the cutting scheme. The process is divided into three stages: generating valid cutting patterns, optimizing their frequency, and combining a small number of remaining components. The method combines three algorithms - column generation, particle swarm optimization, and best-fit decreasing - to solve the problem according to the characteristics of each stage. The influence of multiobjectives on the final optimization result is further explored through a sensitivity analysis. The integrated approach was validated with test sets of different sizes, types, and complexities. Its effectiveness and generalizability in reducing rebar cutting waste contribute to its applicability and the achievement of construction sustainability goals.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building information modeling; cutting waste minimization; optimization; rebar cutting stock; rebar quantity take-off |
| Index terms: | take-off, minimization, sensitivity analysis, integrated approach, column, reinforced concrete, complexity, building information modelling, influencing factor, efficiency, optimization technique, effectiveness, rebar, construction material, construction phase, modelling |
| Subjects: | quantity surveying, performance management, information systems, systems engineering, risk assessment, project delivery, building materials, structural engineering, algorithms, environmental hazards, contractual arrangements, analytical methods |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Construction Materials, Cost Management, Quality Management, Sustainability, Procurement, Risk Management, Engineering Principles, Project Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 PC |
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