HEAVY CONSTRUCTION EARTHMOVING SIMULATION USING ENGINEERING CALCULATIONS

Abstract

Earthmoving for major civil engineering heavy construction works, such as dams, levees, or highways, has been a typical application area for construction simulation models. Missing from these models are the engineering calculations typically performed by heavy construction contractors based on the length, grade, and rolling resistance of the haul and return roads and the actual mechanical characteristics of the trucks that will haul the material. Detailed STROBOSCOPE simulations illustrate how to model the performance of heavy construction equipment by using engineering calculations as is usually performed in practice. Earthmoving for the construction of a dam illustrates how to model the loading and hauling of material based on the characteristics of the haul and return roads and the mechanical properties of actual models of loaders and trucks, such as bucket size, engine power, transmission efficiency, retarding power, etc. Sensitivity analysis investigates the total cost of truck combinations while considering the traffic effects of one or two bridges needed to cross a river along the haul route. This example can serve as a simulation model template to facilitate the wider acceptance of simulation in heavy construction practice.