Optimizing the Construction Job Site Vehicle Scheduling Problem

Jaehyun Choi,Jia Xuelei,WoonSeong Jeong

doi:10.3390/su10051381

Jaehyun Choi, Jia Xuelei + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051381

Copy DOI

Abstract

Concrete is one of the most important, versatile, and widely used building materials worldwide. Thus, an optimized delivery schedule of ready-mixed concrete (RMC) is a critical issue that can reduce CO2 emission from RMC delivery vehicles. RMC is the most popular form of concrete material supplied to construction projects. When delivering RMC to construction sites, optimizing the transportation can be complex since there are many alternatives in terms of route choice. The objective of this research was to optimize the travel operation of RMC delivery vehicles to ensure that they travel via the most economical routes. The researchers developed a dynamic simulation model to solve this vehicle scheduling problem (VSP), applied an ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm as a mathematical model, and analyzed the results achieved by the basic and improved ACO methods; the goals were to reduce travel distance and improve the simulation’s performance. Ultimately, the researchers found that the improved ACO method provided a more optimized transportation solution with a higher level of efficiency.

Highlights

Concrete is one of the most important, versatile, and widely used building materials worldwide
Scheduling its dispatch is a critical part of reducing CO2 emissions from ready-mixed concrete (RMC) delivery vehicles
The RMC industry requires that strict standards be observed in terms of the time that elapses between production and distribution; this requirement increases the difficulty of production and distribution planning

Summary

Introduction

Concrete is one of the most important, versatile, and widely used building materials worldwide. The RMC industry requires that strict standards be observed in terms of the time that elapses between production and distribution; this requirement increases the difficulty of production and distribution planning. Such planning involves maximizing the efficiency of the production sequence, pumping equipment, and operation of the transportation vehicles. In most construction projects, optimizing RMC transportation is one of the most complex issues related to working with concrete. This issue becomes even more critical as the size of the construction site increases and the usage becomes higher. Increasing the efficiency of RMC management through the optimization of RMC usage will help to reduce CO2 emissions from RMC delivery vehicles in the construction industry

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion