Cyber-physical-system-based safety monitoring for blind hoisting with the internet of things: A case study

Abstract

Abstract This study proposed a cyber-physical-system-based safety monitoring system (CPS-SMS) for blind hoisting in metro and underground constructions. Wuhan Metro's Sanyang road tunnel, which crosses the Yangtze River in China, was selected for this case study. A slurry shield machine with a cutter diameter of 15.76 m was designed to be hoisted for 44 m into the underground tunnel shafts. The major challenges of this hoisting were as follows: 1) complex construction environment for hoisting, 2) limited visibility of crane operator or blind hoisting, and 3) precise control of position and gesture of a giant cutter wheel in real time. To overcome these challenges, the CPS-SMS was proposed to simulate and monitor the hoisting process to avoid the unsafe status of cranes and the hoisted cutter wheel. Internet-of-things technologies, such as wireless sensor-based location and tracking, self-organized Wi-Fi, and bi-directional communication, were used to prevent accidents in the changing and dynamic hoisting process. The implementation of monitoring blind hoist in the Yangtze River, which crosses the metro tunnel construction site, was successful, that is, no collision or injury occurred. The CPS-SMS can be applied by practitioners to various construction projects, such as dams, high-rise buildings, and large-scale infrastructure projects, to decrease the likelihood of safety risks in blind hoisting in complex environments.