Abstract
No standardised approach appears to exist in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry for the communication of tolerance information on drawings. As a result of this shortcoming, defects associated with dimensional and geometric variability occur with potentially severe consequences. In contrast, in mechanical engineering, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) is a symbolic language widely used to communicate both the perfect geometry and the tolerances of components and assemblies. This paper prescribes the application of GD&T in construction with the goal of developing a common language called geometric dimensioning and tolerancing in construction (GD&TIC) to facilitate the communication of tolerance information throughout design and construction. design science research is the adopted methodological approach. Evidence was collated from direct observations in two construction projects and two group interviews. A focus group meeting was conducted to evaluate whether the developed solution (GD&TIC) fulfilled its aim. The contribution of this paper to designers, to organisations involved in developing AEC industry standards, and to the scholarly community is twofold: (1) It is an attempt to develop a standardised approach (GD&TIC) for the communication of tolerance information in AEC, and (2) it identifies discrepancies between GD&TIC rules and some of the commonly used American and British standards on tolerances.
Highlights
Materials and components cannot be exactly dimensioned and positioned in the way that they were designed
There is evidence that the lack of a standardised approach for tolerancing leads to ambiguous situations during design and tolerance problems during construction [4,5,9]
The main reason for using the term ‘geometric dimensioning and tolerancing in construction (GD&TIC)’ is to emphasise that this system is the refined version of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) and was developed for the AEC industry
Summary
Materials and components cannot be exactly dimensioned and positioned in the way that they were designed. Tolerances are defined as the accepted amount of variations of materials and components from nominal values or design specifications [1]. There are two types of tolerances: (1) dimensional tolerances, stating the permitted amount of deviation for a specific size, e.g., floor thickness; and (2). Construction projects are traditionally made up of an assembly of several different factory-made components and components produced in situ. The lack of uniformity of accuracy between factory-made and in-situ components, as well as the higher level of building movements in contemporary buildings are two major factors that affect the dimensional and geometric accuracy of buildings [5]. The conversion of a good design into a good product (e.g., a building) is a matter of keeping dimensional and geometric variations within tolerances that are predetermined at the design stage [6]. Tolerances interlink design with construction because, without specifying the tolerances, it is not clear whether components and sub-assemblies (i.e., connections of two or more components) meet the design intent regarding the accuracy of the final product
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