Equipment Combination Model for Effective Excavation Work for Urban High Rise Buildings

Abstract

The excavation work for constructing urban high-rise buildings is narrow and deep, limiting the mobility of equipment. In addition, the productivity of excavation work varies according to the type and amount of equipment used. Therefore, a combination of excavation and rock breaking equipment is needed to maximize productivity while minimizing the cost of excavation work.
Simulation of various cases is needed to draw optimum plans for variables that can greatly affect the productivity of excavation work, but that is not an easy task. Furthermore, a great deal of information and time are necessary for engineers or technicians to review the combination of equipment. For these reasons, most engineers or technicians are unable to accurately predict construction duration or the cost of using a particular equipment combination, based on their experience. The objective of this paper is to propose an efficient equipment combination model for effective excavation work for urban high-rise buildings. In the test case project, applying the proposed model reduced the equipment rental cost about 3% compared with the method relying on experience. The results of this study will be useful in establishing earthwork plans by taking into consideration the productivity of equipment per type and combination.