Page 90 - Built Expressions - Online Construction Magazine - November 2014 Issue

Hulk Mechanised Building Crane Selection Main Process Selection Validation Requirements (User) (Users Inputs) Object Oriented Knowledge-Based Shape of the Equipment building Case-based reasoning Rule-based Database construction requirements due to the Library of constructed -Industry heuristics & Project crane selection is needed, the owner Type of Building/(cases)data on -Construction Schedule selected crane(s), type(s), requirements and/or his representative is notifed, structure number, location,& Structure and the process is repeated for the associated problems Design Team new design. OUTPUT Material Architect Team Factors Affecting Crane(S) Specifcations GRAPHIC VALIDATION & SIMULATION Selection Labour Relations Many factors need to be carefully Site CAD & Safety considered when selecting cranes for Constraints Simulation Cost Estimation building construction. They can be LEVEL 5 Software & Financing classifed as technical, contractual and OUTPUTS economical factors these which has been extracted during the knowledge Type of Number Position of Cost, Time, & Location of acquisition stage of the system Crane(s) of Crane Crane(s) Productivity of Crane(s) Material Storage development factors are summarized in Fig. (2). Fig. 3 Crane Advisors Main Process The Proposed System The crane selection process is complex decisions regarding the selection of types, their specifcations, and cost due to variety of factors including: appropriate crane type(s), number, data. The database also contains data buildings shapes, their structures, and location(s) for high-rise building on a number of already constructed type and size of the material to be projects. buildings including information on handled, along with the various problems related to cranes used in crane types available in the market. System Architecture their construction. The process requires expertise that As shown in Fig. (3), the system might not be available to decision incorporates two main modules. The System’s Strategy makers when needed. In an effort to frst is the Knowledge-Based module When selecting a crane, in addition facilitate this process and to make the that contains experts knowledge, to heuristic and rules of thumb expertise available to assist the decision heuristics and rules of thumb related practitioners refer to solutions makers during the crane selection to cranes selection process. The from similar cases, they faced in process, experts knowledge have second, is the Case-Based module previous projects that involved crane been captured, classifed and coded containing information on various selection. Therefore, identifying the in a computer system. The system is cases representing already constructed most common cases is required in developed in a computer integrated buildings with pre-selected crane(s). order to establish a methodology for environment capable of assisting In addition to the knowledge-base, crane selection for high-rise building owners, contractors, developers, design the system integrates procedural construction. During the Knowledge professionals, construction managers, algorithms for performing routine Acquisition stage it was found that and equipment suppliers in their calculations and graphic validation to experts in the domain of crane selection support the crane selection process. use different strategies (explained in These are incorporated in three previous sections) to solve problems modules: geometry calculations, graphic related to a crane’s selection. These validation, and cost estimation modules. strategies have been incorporated in The frst two of these modules calculate developing the system. and validate the geometry of the selected The system and the procedure crane(s) and their location(s) with followed during the selection process. respect to the building geometry and The consultation starts, with the user, loads specifcations. The cost estimation investigating the factors affecting module provides intensive cost the technical feasibility of a crane calculations for the selected crane(s). to be selected. This is based on the All the modules share a global database user’s input as answers to a set of Figure (4) The Selected Tower containing data on a large number of questions on different features of Cranes in 3D View commercially available cranes: their the project posed by the system, PG 90 Built Expressions Vol: 3 Issue: 11 November 2014