Research on collaborative scheduling of multiple projects of prefabricated building based on the niche genetic-raccoon family optimization algorithm

Abstract

Buildings where part or all of the components are prefabricated in a factory, then transported to the construction site and assembled through reliable connections, are called prefabricated buildings (PB). Considering the regional differentiation and asynchronization scheduling characteristics of PB, it is difficult for project managers to schedule and optimize construction resources - including manpower/equipment for parallel assembly projects. The purpose of this paper is to solve the multi-projects resource optimization problem under the condition of prefabricated buildings. Therefore, this paper establishes a bilevel multi-objectives model composed of project layer and work layer, which aims to shorten project duration, reduce cost, and maximize robustness. Based on this, a hybrid niche genetic-raccoon family optimization (NG-RFO) algorithm is proposed, equipped with better population diversification effect of niche genetic (NG) and strong local search ability of raccoon family optimization algorithm (RFOA). Moreover, the performance of the improved hybrid algorithm has been compared with genetic algorithm (GA) and RFOA. The actual data of a prefabricated building project group in Hebei Province has been used. The results show that the algorithm is a feasible and efficient method for obtaining a satisfactory resource scheduling scheme in limited time, which is obviously superior to GA and RFOA. This paper provides a reference for project managers to make reasonable and efficient progress plans in an uncertain environment.