FEASIBILITY STUDY

Feasibility Study - Construction

Executive Summary

The study reported in this paper investigates the feasibility of automating the onsite construction of reinforced concrete residential buildings. Emphasis is placed on developing modular forms that facilitate automation. The majority of work in the field of construction robotics has focused on the adaptation of existing industrial robots to automate traditional construction processes. This paper outlines a computeraided construction system approach specially suited for integrating design and implementation by onsite robots. A ComputerIntegrated Construction (CIC) system, similar to CIM, is developed that includes a CIC databa.se, a construction design system, a construction production/process planning system, and a robotics execution system. This approach is intended to minimize the redesign effort as well as the need for onsite manual work.

Table of Contents

Executive Summaryii

Introduction1

The modular formbased construction system3

Design of the modular forms4

Database design and management within the CIC system5

The CIC program structure7

Integrated construction design and implementation within the CIC system8

Design procedure within the UC program structure9

Construction implementation procedure within the CIC program structure10

Construction modification procedure within the CIC program structure10

Integrated production/process planning within the CIC system11

Knowledge representation of the construction production /process planning11

Cost and time analysis of the construction production/process planning13

Principle of ordering and scheduling among construction activities13

Optimization of the construction production / process planning14

Conclusion15

References16

Appendices18

Feasibility Study - Construction

Introduction

Advanced technology is currently being introduced in the construction industry and is expected to play an increasingly important role in the next decade.

To meet the challenges of the future, the industry is looking towards the: use of advanced robotics and automation technology to develop high quality, efficient, safe, and economical construction facilities.

Good progress has been made in the automation of some construction activities at the work site. which focuses on automating individual processes . However, it is the integration and simplification of these activities, and approaching the problem from a total system viewpoint that is lacking in the construction industry and there is a growing trend to transfer the robotics technology from advanced manufacturing to construction.

It is necessary, however, to ensure that such transfer is compatible with the special needs of the construction industry. (Hendirckson 2008: 205-209)

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the development of an integrated computerbased system for the automation of onsite reinforced concrete construction and the employment of robotics within this system. An important part of the study is to explore solutions that have already found their way into the manufacturing industry and apply them with the necessary modifications to the complex construction environment. In contrast to manufacturing, decentralized work locations and onsite production activities are characteristics of construction processes. Construction is a labor intensive industry and reduced labor requirements could be an important benefit of automation. Automation could also help maintain construction quality by achieving a consistent output over time and by providing builtin inspection.

Finally, an improvement in construction safety could be a major benefit of automation.

The methodology introduced in this paper presents the framework of a possible solution, within the limitations of the complex construction process, to the development of an Integratedconstruction ...