Developing an integrated model for planning the delivery of construction materials to post-disaster reconstruction projects

Abstract

AbstractConstruction material delivery to post-disaster reconstruction projects is challenging because of the resource and time limitations that follow a large-scale disaster. There is compelling evidence that inadequate planning jeopardises the success of a large number of post-disaster reconstruction projects. Thus, the current study proposes an integrated approach to facilitate the procurement planning of construction materials following a large-scale disaster. The proposed approach clustered the location of construction projects using a differential evolution (DE)-K-prototypes, a new partitional clustering algorithm based on DE and K-prototypes, method. Then, using a permanent matrix prioritises cluster points based on route reliability-affecting factors. The model’s objectives are to minimise the total travel time, maximise the reliability of the route, and minimise the total weighted undelivered materials to projects. In the case of distribution of material through land vehicles, the possibility of breakdowns in the vehicle is considered, allowing for the determination of vehicle breakdown under various scenarios and the minimisation of undelivered materials to projects. As a result of the uncertain character of the disaster, the demands of construction projects are fuzzy, and Jimenez’s method is used to handle it. Due to the complexity of the problem, two algorithms are proposed, a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (MOEA/D) and a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II). The results confirm that the proposed MOEA/D has a higher accuracy while NSGA-II has a shorter computational time. By providing new theoretical perspectives on disaster recovery strategies in the construction sector, this study contributes to the growing body of knowledge about disaster recovery strategies in the sector. The findings of this study can be employed to develop an integrated planning system for the delivery of construction materials to post-disaster reconstruction projects in disaster-prone countries.