Selection of Lifting Mechanism for Small-Scale Construction Project: A Comparative Method Based on Building Volume and an Automated Schedule

Václav Venkrbec,Michal Brandtner

doi:10.1088/1755-1315/221/1/012092

Václav Venkrbec, Michal Brandtner

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/221/1/012092

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Abstract

The selection of construction machinery for a project is a very important part of the construction process. Rigorous preparation for construction is very often neglected in practice even though three fifths of the construction companies in the Czech Republic operate at prices that lie below the safe pricing threshold. For small-scale buildings this ratio is even more pronounced. This fact can be understood as meaning that the price of construction is undervalued in such a way that it also has a negative impact on construction safety. On the other hand, the selection of a lifting mechanism usually relies on the individual decisionmaking capabilities of the construction manager, and the decision is mostly based on the options that are locally available. In such cases, the result is often that the total cost is disproportionately high and/or the lifting mechanism is oversized. The proper selection of the main lifting mechanism for a project depends on many factors and criteria, such as crane position, load characteristics, economic criteria and the flexibility of the schedule. Effective lifting mechanism selection fundamentally depends on the definition of the economic and technological criteria for each individual structure at the beginning of the project. This paper presents an approach developed by the authors to assess the suitability of a lifting mechanism for small-scale construction work based on an automated schedule in combination with the volume of the structure. A case study comparing two types of small self-erecting crane and a mobile crane is presented in order to prove the usefulness of this method. The results include a graph from which the suitability or unsuitability of each individual mechanism can be found. A cost curve with a transition point depicted for a range of six small-scale structures with different building volumes is shown for each mechanism. A clear transition point was found at a building volume of 6030 m3.

Highlights

The issue of lifting mechanism selection is one of the crucial parts of the construction management section of the technical preparation phase of a construction project, and it should be dealt with before construction begins
The self-erecting crane will remain on the construction site throughout the construction phase of the selected stage, while the hydraulic mobile crane will only be present on site during the execution of key critical processes, such as those related to masonry or formwork, the preparation of reinforcement, etc
All amounts are converted from CZK currency to EUR at the exchange rate 1EUR = 26CZK.A Liebherr 35K self-erecting tower crane was selected for the research, along with a TerexDemagAC 25 City hydraulic mobile crane

Summary

Introduction

The issue of lifting mechanism selection is one of the crucial parts of the construction management section of the technical preparation phase of a construction project, and it should be dealt with before construction begins. The selection of a suitable mechanism depends on many criteria, and on a wide range of boundary conditions. The design and assessment of a small lifting mechanism is usually carried out by the supplier himself, or by the construction manager. The time available to both of these parties to make this assessment is already limited, and the boundary conditions are only taken into account to a limited extent.

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Results

Conclusion