Trends and developments of on-site crane layout planning 1983–2020: bibliometric, scientometric and qualitative analyzes

Purpose This study aims to thoroughly examine the trends and developments of crane layout planning (CLP) in the construction field and reveal future research directions for modular integrated construction (MiC). Design/methodology/approach Through a rigorous systematic mixed-review methodology that integrates bibliometric, scientometric and qualitative analysis, this study explored the crane layout research trend; the scientometric analysis of journal sources and keywords occurrence network; the research contributions and links between influential countries; the classification of research articles based on the type of problems and solution approaches; the qualitative analysis of existing findings and research gaps; and the future research direction for CLP in MiC. Findings This study found five categories under the CLP domain, namely, crane selection, crane location, integrated crane selection and location, integrated crane location and allocation of supply points and hybrid problems. The major research approaches used to solve CLP is optimization (43%), visualization (23%), decision support systems (16%), simulation (11%) and qualitative techniques (7%). The possible future research directions include artificial intelligence-based models, multi-crane locations, CLP for MiC re-use, dynamic models representing real-life scenarios and building information modeling-based virtual reality models. Originality/value Through a mixed-review methodology, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of problem settings and solution methods of CLP while mitigating the subjectivity of traditional review methods. Also, it presents a repertoire on CLP and illuminates future directions for seasoned researchers in the context of MiC.

Tower Crane Location Optimization for Heavy Unit Lifting in High-Rise Modular Construction

Modular construction, which involves unit production in factories and on-site work, has benefits such as low cost, high quality, and short duration, resulting from the controlled factory environment utilized. An efficient tower crane lifting plan ensures successful high-rise modular project completion. For improved efficiency, the lifting plan should minimize the reaching distance of the tower crane, because this distance directly affects the tower crane capacity, which is directly related to crane operation cost. In situations where units are lifted from trailers, the trailer-to-tower crane distance can have a significant impact on the tower crane operation efficiency. However, optimization of this distance to improve efficiency has not been sufficiently considered. This research proposes a genetic algorithm optimization model that suggests optimized tower crane and trailer locations. The case study results show that through the proposed model, the project manager can reflect the optimal location selection and optimal tower crane selection options with minimal cost.

A decision support tool for planning module installation in industrial construction

PurposeProperly planned module installation on an industrial site is a critical factor in delivering a project safely, on time and within budget. Different sizes of heavy-duty mobile cranes are used to pick, swing and place the modules. Crane selection depends on module size and weight, as well as crane availability, location and configuration. Weeks can be spent in trial and error to prepare and improve module installation plans due to the large number of ways to install the modules on site, high crane operating costs and other crane-module constraints. A tool to automatically generate module installation plans is essential.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a novel heuristic-based methodology for planning and sequencing module installation on industrial construction sites that takes into account proposed technological constraints.FindingsCase studies are presented to demonstrate the ease and effectiveness of the developed methodology in planning module installations.Originality/valueOn a complex project, the tool can save time in preparing the installation plan, while also reducing the amount of crane supporting tasks (foundation preparation and crane movement).

An Upgraded Sine Cosine Algorithm for Tower Crane Selection and Layout Problem

Tower crane is the core construction facility in the high-rise building construction sites. Proper selection and location of construction tower cranes not only can affect the expenses but also it can have impact on the material handling process of building construction. Tower crane selection and layout problem (TCSLP) is a type of construction site layout problem, which is considered as an NP-hard problem. In consequence, researchers have extensively used metaheuristics for their solution. The Sine Cosine Algorithm (SCA) is a newly developed metaheuristic which performs well for TCSLP, however, efficient use of this algorithm requires additional considerations. For this purpose, the present paper studies an upgraded sine cosine algorithm (USCA) that employs a harmony search based operator to improve the exploration and deal with variable constraints simultaneously and uses an archive to save the best solutions. Subsequently, the upgraded sine cosine algorithm is employed to optimize the locations to find the best tower crane layout. Several benchmark functions are studied to evaluate the performance of the USCA. A comparative study indicates that the USCA performs quite well in comparison to other recently developed metaheuristic algorithms.

METHODICAL BASES OF SELECTION THE MOBILE CRANES

The basics of the automated selection of mobile construction cranes on the parametric conformity of the mounted structures are outlined. The tasks of crane selection are solved based on the software package created: the position of the axes of movement and the position of the crane stops during the installation of one-storey industrial buildings is determined. The organization and technology of using mobile cranes on a pneumatic move is considered. Special attention is paid to cranes on the chassis of various types of cars of domestic and foreign production. The zones of admissible parking of cranes during installation and cargo handling operations are studied. The recommendations for determining the maximum and minimum allowable hook lifting using the above algorithms are given. The composition of the software package, service programs, a crane selection subroutine, a subroutine for checking the possibility of lifting a crane with a given arrow and modification, a subroutine for determining the crane parking area, service programs, a program for creating and maintaining libraries of crane characteristics are given. The article describes the algorithms and developed computer programs. The results of the calculations described in the work can be used at the stage of development the POS, PPR and in the analysis of new technological solutions. The recommendations and proposals are intended for research, design and construction organizations.