Earthwork Volume Research Articles

Virtual reality-based site layout planning for building design

This paper addresses the challenge of integrating optimized design solutions in Site Layout Planning (SLP) through Virtual Reality (VR), questioning how VR simulations can enhance their acceptance. The methodology involves a multi-objective optimization model that evaluates critical factors like earthwork volume, cost, and environmental impact, integrated into a VR framework for interactive participant evaluations. Results show a notable 48.3% increase in decision-making accuracy among participants using VR, highlighting VR's potential to significantly improve comprehension and application of complex data-driven designs in SLP. This underlines the transformative impact of VR on enhancing stakeholder engagement and optimizing design outcomes. Future research will broaden the participant base and further investigate the long-term effects of VR integration in professional environments.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE EFFICIENCY OF PARABOLIC AND TRAPEZOIDAL SECTIONS IN IRRIGATIONCANALS

One of the current scientific directions in hydraulic engineering is to give irrigation canals a hydraulically and statically stable cross-sectional shape in the form of the most advantageous parabolic profile. This approach allows maximizing the sediment transport capacity of the flow and significantly reducing the time and costs of construction and maintenance works, using optimization criteria for next-generation machinery and mechanisms. The significance of this research lies in developing a new concept for designing, constructing, and operating irrigation canals in hydraulic engineering systems with cross-sectional shapes that are both hydraulically and statically stable. These shapes aim to maximize sediment transport capacity, ensure ecological sustainability of natural-technical basin systems, and contribute to national food security. The objects of study are hydraulic engineering structures, specifically the inter-farm canals of irrigation systems within the Syr Darya river basin in the southern region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. For the study, methods were used including stability analysis of earth slopes using circular-cylindrical sliding surfaces, methods based on analogy between shear curves and slopes, and methods based on the theory of limit equilibrium. Calculations have demonstrated the advantages, including increased resistance to cross-section deformation, reduced earthwork volumes during irrigation canal construction and cleaning by 20-25%, decreased materials and work volume for possible lining by 13-18%, narrower canal top width and land acquisition zones by 11-17%, lower labor costs by 13-16%, reduced construction costs by 14-18%, and decreased specific adjusted costs by 15-18%.

Preventive Archaeological Research in Overhead Electric Power Line’s Construction Zones

The article is dedicated to archaeological research within the limits of projected and existing overhead power lines in Ukraine. Based on the experience of the Scientific and Research Centre “Rescue Archaeological Service” of the Institute of Archaeology, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the results of such works were summarised and monument protection measures for avoiding or mitigating the negative impact on the archaeological heritage during the overhead power lines construction were proposed. In 2008–2024 the Center’s employees surveyed 1507.3 km of power lines 220‑750 kW and 2642 hectares of area within the 14–21 m wide right of way; 444 new and known archaeological objects were localised; monument protection measures for 342 objects were developed; 8946 m2 were excavated in places where supports installed on 40 archaeological sites; 30 archaeological sites were supervised; accounting documentation for 78 monuments was developed. According to the survey results the average archaeological objects occurrence index per one kilometer of the overhead power lines planned route was determined as 0.251. It has been confirmed that in the steppe zone and adjacent areas of the forest-steppe mounds and mound groups occur more often than the settlements that prevail in the forest and forest-steppe zones. The regularities in which each stage of research defines the task for the next and gradually narrows the scope of development areas have been determined: at the Feasibility study stage an area of more than 1200000 hectares was developed; at the Project stage 2642 ha were archaeologically surveyed; at the stage of Construction monument protection research is planned on an area of 28.27 hectares. The same trend applies to the archaeology objects number covered 1358, 444 and 342 objects respectively. Despite the research areas decreasing, their resource consumption and the cost of the archaeological methods used are increasing.The United Energy System of Ukraine is one of the largest in Europe. According to its promising development program it was planned to build a thousand km of new overhead power lines. However, the war made its corrections and to the new planning construction were added hundreds of kilometers of destroyed overhead lines and dozens of ruined electrical substations. Comparing such linear objects as highways or main pipelines a much smaller volume of earthworks is processed during the overhead lines construction and they too can potentially have a significant negative impact on the environment including cultural heritage. Therefore, preventive measures developed on the mitigation hierarchy principles should be implemented at all construction stages. Each cycle’s phase corresponds to a certain type of archaeological research: planning → preliminary archival and bibliographic research; design → archaeological investigations (surveys); construction → archaeological monument protection research; exploitation → monitoring. Such approach using ensures the optimal management adoption decisions and helps to avoid and/or reduce the potential negative impact on cultural heritage even at the first stages of the investment project development.

FORMULATION OF THE OPTIMIZATION PROBLEM FOR UNDERGROUND ENGINEERING NETWORK ROUTES

The article considers the implementation of methods for optimizing underground external engineering networks in order to reduce construction costs. For this purpose, the problem of optimizing the route of such networks is set in the form of a nonlinear programming problem. The route is modeled by a spatial polyline with rectilinear segments, and the coordinates of its vertices are considered design variables. The ground surface in the designated area is modeled as a continuous function of two coordinates in the plan using BIM technologies, which ensures the automated use of topographic information when calculating the volume of earthworks and checking compliance with constraints specified by standards requirements. The main result of the study is the formulation of the problem of optimizing the route of the engineering network taking into account the terrain.

Research on Monitoring and Application of Ecological Restoration Engineering in Open Pit Backfilling Mines Based on Satellite Remote Sensing Data

Abstract. The restoration and management of mining ecological environment is an important component of China's ecological civilization construction. The implementation of restoration projects is to avoid the serious impact caused by the continuous deterioration of mining ecological structure, and is a key way to maintain regional ecological security and energy and mineral security. Therefore, efficient and rapid monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of mining ecological restoration is an essential and important link. With the rapid development of remote sensing technology, remote sensing monitoring has become an important means to objectively, quickly, and accurately obtaining changes in the mining environment. It can provide timely and long-term monitoring of mining and backfilling conditions in mining areas. This article uses the multi temporal stereo images of the Resource 3 satellite over four years to monitor the mining and backfilling situation of the Zhungeer open-pit coal mine area in Inner Mongolia. By reconstructing the Digital Surface Model (DSM) of the open-pit mining area, the changes and thresholds of the multi temporal DSM data are statistically analyzed to extract the mining and backfilling areas, and the earthwork volume is calculated. The results showed that from 2013 to 2016, the main large-scale mining faces in the study area of Zhungeer open-pit mining area had a total mining operation of about 563.5 million cubic meters, and a total backfilling operation of about 604.29 million cubic meters; During the period from 2016 to 2018, the main large-scale mining faces in the region had a total of approximately 721.71 million cubic meters of mining operations and a total of approximately 805.42 million cubic meters of backfilling operations. The overall operational intensity increased from 2016 to 2018. The research results show that based on satellite image data, it is convenient and efficient to obtain DSM and corresponding changes of multiple time periods in mining areas. Monitoring results can provide important support for regional environmental governance and protection, as well as safety production in mining areas.

Earthwork Volume Measurement in Road Construction Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

Earthwork Volume Measurement in Road Construction Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

Waste Lime Earthwork Management Using Drone and BIM Technology for Construction Projects: The Case Study of Urban Development Project

Recently, there has been a recognized need to use waste lime landfills for land reclamation projects. Waste lime earthwork is more challenging than general earthwork operations due to potential health and safety hazards and significant changes in earthwork volume. There has been substantial research undertaken on the role of advanced construction technologies in general earthwork; however, their potential in hazardous waste lime environments for earthwork management is yet to be explored. This research proposes a methodology that integrates drone and BIM construction technology for effective and efficient hazardous waste lime earthwork management for construction projects. Drones are used for surveying, providing as-built information, and BIM to model, process, and evaluate the progress of waste lime earthwork. Volume change analyses are conducted using BIM to calculate dehydration time due to the ripple effect of waste lime for cost-efficient earthwork haulage. The case study provides evidence that the proposed method using advanced construction technologies improves productivity, safety, cost control, and better project management for earthwork related to hazardous waste materials.

Minimization of the Land Right-of-Way During The Landscape Design of a Road

Purpose. The main purpose of this work is to solve the problem of designing a longitudinal profile, provided that the volume of earthworks is rationally distributed and the width of the right-of-way is reduced when designing a road on the ground in conjunction with the landscape. Methodology. The study was conducted in accordance with the requirements of SBS B.2.3–4:2015 regarding the need to comply with the principles of landscape design and the use of rational combinations of plan elements and longitudinal profile to ensure the smoothness of the road, as well as its relationship with the environment to reduce destruction and preserve the existing landscape in each case. Findings. The paper considers two options for drawing the design line relative to the ground line: in the first option, the design line is drawn based on the condition of approximate equality of the volumes of excavations and embankments, in the second – on the condition of designing the longitudinal profile with the maximum permissible slopes to reduce the value of the working elevations. The research confirms that designing the longitudinal profile with maximum slopes leads to a decrease in the working elevations of embankments and excavations. This, in turn, leads to a reduction in the width of the road right-of-way. In the case of a balanced distribution of embankment and excavation volumes, the width of the right-of-way increased by 1.6 times. However, the use of soil from the excavations for embankment filling (the so-called longitudinal dumping) reduced the total cost of earthworks by 27%, despite the increase in the width of the right-of-way. Originality. Methodological approaches to determining the scope of work and cost of subgrade construction are proposed, provided that the width of the right-of-way is minimized during the design of the road. The cost of the subgrade is represented by two components – the cost of soil development and transportation and the cost of land occupation. Practical value. The results obtained in the course of the research work indicate that the task of determining the scope of work and cost of the subgrade construction, while minimizing the width of the right-of-way during the construction of the road, has been solved. The provided recommendations will contribute to the effectiveness of design solutions, determine the quality of the road project in general and the feasibility of its implementation in particular.

INCREASING THE PRODUCTIVITY OF PILE DIVING IN ORCHARDS AND VINEYARDS BY USING HYDROJET TECHNOLOGY

The need to solve the problem of reducing labor intensity, reducing the volume of earthworks, as well as reducing the time of the process of sinking piles in orchards and vineyards. Currently, the theoretical issues of the dynamics of piles when they are immersed in the soil have not been developed to the extent required by practice. The primary task here is to study the process of sinking the pile into the soil in order to achieve the required depth of immersion with minimal damage to the structure of the pile itself, and for it to perform the work that is set before it. Naturally, in the process of sinking piles into the soil, not only elastic, but also viscous, plastic properties of the soil are manifested and its destruction occurs. The theoretical tasks of sinking the pile into the soil, taking into account the viscous, plastic properties of the soil environment and the deformation characteristics of the pile material, have not been investigated. Nowadays, in connection with the circumstances that are currently happening in Krane, in the Vinnytsia region, the percentage of people's involvement in agricultural affairs is growing significantly, namely: in the planting of new garden and grape plantations and lands. There is a demand for immersion equipment that can quickly and efficiently perform the assigned tasks. Therefore, increasing the productivity of the process of sinking piles in orchards and vineyards through the use of hydrojet technology is an extremely relevant topic. The purpose of the article is to increase the productivity of the process of sinking piles in orchards and vineyards by using hydrojet technology. Creation of favorable conditions for the intensification of the production process and the application of effective methods of action on its object; continuous implementation of technological movement; reduction and general elimination of the use of unproductive labor; in particular, when performing auxiliary operations; management of the dynamic state of the system in which technological action takes place; the multifunctionality of the technological process and the harmonious combination of its main structural components are, for the most part, trends in the development of technical progress in the implementation of pile sinking.

Engineering-geological study of relationships between soil and rock workability, type and volume of excavated materials, and earthwork costs (six case studies)

The engineering-geological study deals with the study of significance and relationship of soil and rock workability (factor representing the engineering-geological structure of rock massif) and the remaining earthwork parameters influencing the cost of construction work, such as excavation type and its technology, and excavated cubic volume. The comparative tool was the cost of earthwork as it reflects the real value of the given parameters during the implementation of earthwork. Soil and rock workability is the most important parameter of rock massif engineering-geological structure during any earthwork. The investor pays the contractor for earthwork based on workability classes which have their accounting value expressed as a volume unit of earthwork per particular project. The research results arise from a comparison of 6 sewer system construction project case studies in the north-east of the Czech Republic. The research shows that the most important factor during the implementation of earthwork is the specific engineering-geological structure (52%), which reflects in the parameter of soil and rock workability classes, using which all earthwork is priced. The second most important factor (33%) is the type of excavation and its technology. The least important is the excavated cubic volume (15%), which means the overall cubic volume of earthwork. The results were obtained within three evaluation approaches, where the comparison unit was one cubic meter of excavated volume during earthwork.

Effectiveness of reinforcement on soil subsidence

The application of methods of improvement of ground bases in subsidence areas is an urgent issue today. This is evidenced by the continuing difficulties with the operation of transport structures. This study presents experimental studies of soil reinforcement. An important factor is to determine the properties of the soil, so the paper presents the results of laboratory tests. The angle of internal friction and the deformation increases to a greater extent when the reinforcing element is embedded in the ground, which will increase the bearing capacity of the foundations and reduce the deformability and settlement of the soil mass. The use of a reinforcing element in the ground not only makes it possible to improve the physical and mechanical properties of the soil but also gives an economic effect. It allows you to reduce the cost of the volume of earthworks. The results obtained in this study have considerable potential for eliminating problems arising from the construction of structures in subsidence areas.

Possibilities of Using UAV for Estimating Earthwork Volumes during Process of Repairing a Small-Scale Forest Road, Case Study from Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

Although forest road networks are an important infrastructure for forestry, recreation, and sustainable forest management, they have a considerable effect on the environment. Therefore, a detailed analysis of the various benefits and associated costs of road network construction is needed. The cost of earthwork in road construction can be estimated based on the change in topography before and after construction. However, accurate estimation of the earthwork volume may not be possible on steep terrain where soil placement is limited. In this study, an unmanned aerial vehicle was flown under the tree canopy six times during a road repair work to measure the changes in topography using structure from motion analysis. Comparing the obtained 3D model with the measurement results from the total station, the average vertical error and root mean square error were −0.146 m and 0.098 m, respectively, suggesting its good accuracy for measuring an earthwork volume. Compared to the amount of earthwork estimated from the topographic changes before and after the repair work, the actual earthwork volume was 3.5 times greater for cutting and 1.9 times greater for filling. This method can be used to calculate the earthwork volume accurately for designing forest road networks on steep terrain.

Field Testing on active isolation of vibrating foundations in Middle-frequency range

Open or in-filled trenches are usually used for suppressing disturbing ground vibrations induced by various man-made sources such as construction activities, transportation systems and power plants. However, using a trench to suppress low-frequency excitations, may be either impractical or inefficient. This study evaluates different mitigation strategies to suppress middle-frequency ground vibrations (i.e. between 25 and 40 Hz), generated by a rotating mass vibrator mounted on a shallow foundation in the field. The mitigation strategies encompassed placing isolating materials including sand-rubber mixture (SRM) in bags and block-type EPS geofoam, in sidewalls and bottom of a cubic pit excavated underneath the vibrating foundation and then backfilling the pit. Using EPS geofoam resulted in up to 30% and 20% reduction in ground vibration amplitudes of vertical and horizontal components, respectively. However, SRM-filled bags provided better efficiency which increased with rubber content. For instance, up to 40% and 50% reduction were observed, respectively in vertical and horizontal ground vibrations, when a SRM mixture with 25% rubber content was used. The excavation depth in current study was comparably lower than that of an open trench, for the same vibration reduction level, and thus considerably reduced the earthwork volume.

Factors Affecting Earthwork Volume in Forest Road Construction on Steep Terrain

Forest roads, as a prerequisite for high-quality forest management, should be optimally distributed in order to avoid negative environmental impacts and to best fulfill their task. In the design phase of forest roads, it is necessary to know which factors influence most the volume of earthworks to enable the designer to best adapt to the terrain requirements. In this paper the impact of an average cross terrain slope and carriageway value of a forest road on cut and fill volume is analyzed. The research was carried out in the area of the management unit Trovrh–Kik, characterized by irregular terrain with slopes ranging between 27 and 58%, and on some micro locations even up to 84%. On eight forest roads, based on standard cross-section profiles, the influence of the average cross terrain slope and carriageway value (difference between ground level and grade level) of the forest road on the cut and fill volume per 1 m of the forest road route was analyzed. The obtained coefficients of determination indicate a strong correlation between the cut volume and carriageway value (R2 = 0.6841), and a moderate correlation between the fill volume and carriageway value (R2 = 0.5619). Unlike the influence of carriageway value on the cut and fill volume, the correlation between the cross terrain slope and fill volume is weak (R2 = 0.2076) or moderate in the case of the cut volume (R2 = 0.3167). On the basis of the analyzed standard cross-section profiles, it was determined that the carriageway value was 0.051 m, where the difference between the cut and fill volume was minimum and the average actual carriageway value was determined to be −0.09 m. It can be concluded that, on terrains with large and varying slopes, there is no unique model or terrain factor that could describe the earthworks required in the construction of a forest road. However, it is beyond doubt that the increase in the carriageway value and cross terrain slope caused the increase in the aforementioned volumes.

Digging and cleaning collectors using excavators equipped with innovative automatic control navigator

This article presents the problems of guaranteeing high work productivity in the digging or cleaning of ditches and collectors, as well as the implementation of design indicators, as specified in the project, and measures to eliminate them using modern innovative technologies. Ditch and collectors work at the level of demand, improve land reclamation conditions, increase productivity and reduce the volume of additional earthworks, increase economic efficiency to high levels. The results of the conducted scientific research showed that during the construction of the open pit, the volume of earthworks was reduced by 15%, and the carrying capacity of the stream was increased by 25%. As a result, it makes it possible to increase the reliability and maintain the technical condition of using open pits.

Calculation and Comparison of Earthwork Volume Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Photogrammetry and Traditional Surveying Method

Calculation and Comparison of Earthwork Volume Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Photogrammetry and Traditional Surveying Method

İnsansız Hava Araçlarının Orman Yolu Projelerinde Kullanımı

Road networks are accepted as a criterion showing the level of development of countries. Undoubtedly, the role of highways in facilitating human life is quite important. However, road routes involve high cost land surveying studies that can pass through areas with various land use types and cover.For forest road routes to be built in forest areas, points representing the land surface can be obtained by various measurement methods (remote sensing, photogrammetry and terrestrial measurement techniques). Depending on the land structure and cover, difficulties are encountered in the determination of spatial points with terrestrial measurement techniques. In this study, as an alternative to the terrestrial measurement technique, 341 m long forest road excavation and filling calculations were carried out with the help of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry. Photo pairs taken from different heights (50 m, 75 m and 100 m) with real-time kinematics (RTK) GPS UAV were processed with Agisoft to produce a point cloud. The point cloud data obtained by digital photogrammetry and land measurement methods were carried out in NetCAD environment for the excavation and filling calculations for the same road route. Between the two methods, in the 50 m, 75 m and 100 m measurements of the UAV obtained by ground measurement; In the calculation of the UAV 50m measurement amount, 0.27% in the total excavation amount and 1.08% difference in the total filling amount, 2.51% in the total excavation amount and 5.22% in the total filling amount in the calculation of the UAV 75 m measurement amount, and the total difference in the UAV 100m measurement amount in the calculation of the UAV 50m measurement amount. A difference of 3.13% in the amount of excavation and 2.53% in the total amount of filling was determined. These results show that UAV photogrammetry is very effective in forest road projects and in calculating the amount of earthwork volume in mountainous terrain.

Earthwork Volume Calculation, 3D Model Generation, and Comparative Evaluation Using Vertical and High-Oblique Images Acquired by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

In civil engineering and building construction, the earthwork volume calculation is one of the most important factors in the design and construction stages; therefore, an accurate calculation is necessary. Moreover, because managing earthworks is highly important, in this study, a three-dimensional (3D) model for earthwork calculation and management was performed using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and an RGB camera. Vertical and high-oblique images (45°, 60°, and 75°) were acquired at 50 and 100 m heights for accurate earthwork calculations and a 3D model, and data were generated by dividing the images into eight cases. Cases 1–4 were images acquired from a height of 50 m, and cases 5–8 were images acquired from a height of 100 m. (case 1: 90°, case 2: 90° + 45°, case 3: 90° + 60°, case 4: 90° + 75°, case 5: 90°, case 6: 90° + 45°, case 7: 90° + 60°, case 8: 90° + 75°). Three evaluations were performed on the data. First, the accuracy was evaluated through checkpoints for the orthophoto; second, the earthwork volumes calculated via a global positioning system and UAV were compared; finally, the 3D model was evaluated. Case 2, which showed the lowest root mean square error in the orthophoto accuracy evaluation, was the most accurate. Case 2 was the most accurate in the earthwork volume evaluation and 3D model compared to other cases. Through this study, the best results were obtained when using a vertical image and a high-oblique image of 40 to 50° when generating a 3D model for earthwork volume calculation and management. In addition, if the UAV is not affected by obstacles, it is better to shoot at about 50 m or less than to shoot the UAV height too high.

Field Applicability of Earthwork Volume Calculations Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

The earthwork volume must be calculated as accurately as possible for economical construction and cost savings. In particular, when calculating the areas and volumes of irregular curved terrains such as mountains, reservoirs, lakes, and coasts, the vertical assumptions for the boundary equation must be rationally and systematically established. This study focuses on earthwork volume calculation technology using UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle). UAV can be used for various types of work, including checking the progress of construction at construction sites and calculating the earthwork volume for large areas. However, earthwork volume calculation technology using UAV is inefficient in terms of information production, management, and reuse because the quantitative guidelines for UAV operations are insufficient, and the output quality, analysis method, and analysis results differ. To solve these problems, the authors investigated an earthwork volume calculation method for construction sites that use UAV to automate the on-site calculation of construction errors and support an on-site monitoring system using building information modeling (BIM). To calculate the earthwork volume of the target site, a chain method with a planned plane map based on the average end-area method was used as a representative earthwork volume calculation method. The digital surface model method was applied to review the optimization of the earthwork volume calculation using UAV. This study is a process of analyzing construction data, and aims to strengthen the linkage of 3D data and provide construction management information specialized in excavation work. Through this earthwork analysis using UAV, it is possible to intuitively review the progress of earthwork in 3D by linking the current site with the planned plane.

CALCULATION OF THE AMOUNT OF WORKON A TYPICAL TECHNOLOGICAL PARKING AREA LOT OF AN EXCAVATOR FOR BUILDING AN INFORMATION MODEL

Statement of the problem. The construction of information models of construction processes is impossible without an accurate calculation of the amount of work performed on a typical technological parking lot (gripper). The aim of the work is to automate the computational procedures used to calculate the amount of excavation work on a typical technological excavator parking lot, which is used in 4D and 5D BIM models.Results. Analytical equations are obtained for calculating the volume of earthworks at one technological site of an excavator, taking into account the technical characteristics of earthmoving machines, as well as the conditions of work (the category of soil according to the value of the internal friction angle). Conclusions. The analytical dependences of the volume of work on one typical technological site of an excavator on the technical characteristics and operating conditions (the category of soil) can be used to form procedures for automatically calculating the volume of work, the duration and cost of the construction of pits. The amount of work on a single technological gripper can be used to form, evaluate and select the trajectory of the excavator during the construction of the pit.