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Comparative analysis of operational coefficients' impact on excavation operations

A. Panas (Department of Construction Engineering and Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Centre for Construction Innovation, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece)
J.P. Pantouvakis (Department of Construction Engineering and Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Centre for Construction Innovation, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece)

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management

ISSN: 0969-9988

Article publication date: 7 September 2010

765

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to provide a structured framework for comparing different productivity estimation methodologies and evaluate their sensitivity to operational coefficients variation for excavation operations.

Design/methodology/approach

Two process‐oriented methodologies were analysed in a deterministic fashion in terms of their input requirements and their respective outputs. A phase‐oriented framework was presented to enable their comparison. The research methodology allows the estimation of excavation productivity in relation to the selected operational coefficients.

Findings

The system productivity is significantly influenced by operational conditions, such as the digging depth and the swing angle from the excavation front to the dumping position. Each methodology presents a differing sensitivity to every operational factor. Since the excavator is considered as the system's leading resource, the variation on productivity has direct implications for the truck fleet size and the unit cost of operations.

Originality/value

The proposed approach is useful in analyzing process‐oriented productivity estimation methodologies under a given set of operational coefficients when no historical data is available. Thus, it provides an alternative to intuitive estimates based solely on personal judgment. The concept of “baseline reference” conditions is introduced, so as to enable the transformation of any operational scenario into equivalent mathematical models that allow comparisons between different estimation methodologies and computational approaches.

Keywords

Citation

Panas, A. and Pantouvakis, J.P. (2010), "Comparative analysis of operational coefficients' impact on excavation operations", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 17 No. 5, pp. 461-475. https://doi.org/10.1108/09699981011074565

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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