Journal of Construction Engineering and Management · 1992 · 82 citations · 2 references
EngineeringCivil EngineeringOperations ManagementConstruction EngineeringGeotechnical EngineeringSoil MechanicsConstruction EquipmentDecision SupportEquipment ManagementEquipment SelectionExpert SystemsEarthmoving EquipmentExpert Systems Decision SupportExpert Systems Knowledge AcquisitionOperator PerformanceOperator Performance Evaluation
Proper earth‑moving equipment selection is crucial for meeting project budget and schedule goals and is best performed by experienced personnel. The study aimed to develop a rule‑based expert system (VP‑Expert) for selecting earth‑moving equipment. VP‑Expert contains 930 rules that interpret project soil conditions, operator performance, and required operations, drawing on knowledge from contractors, rental companies, manufacturers, and geotechnical engineers, and was tested on an actual project by three contractors. Contractors’ equipment selections matched the expert system’s recommendations for size and type, indicating the system’s effectiveness.
Proper earth‐moving equipment selection is a major factor when trying to satisfy a project's budget and schedule requirements. The selection of the equipment is best performed by personnel with experience in earth‐moving operations. In this research project, a rule‐based expert system (i.e., VP‐Expert) was used to develop a system for selecting earth‐moving equipment. The system, with 930 rules, interprets information concerning a particular project's soil conditions, operator performance, and required earth‐moving operations. The knowledge for the development of the expert system was obtained from several experts working for two contractors, an equipment rental company, equipment manufacturers' sales representatives (e.g., Caterpillar, Case) and several geotechnical engineers. The system was tested, using the requirements for an actual project, by three contractors. The contractors' selections compared favorably with the developed expert system with regard to the size and type of equipment needed to perform the various tasks.
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