Earthmoving cost optimization by operational research

Abstract

Among the wide variety of operations in many construction projects, the earthmoving operation is very significant in terms of cost and productivity. When there are several excavation and fill areas, the overall earthmoving cost can be minimized by optimizing the distribution of the cut and fill quantities along the various haul routes. A transportation model which optimizes the earthmoving cost is introduced in this paper. A numerical example is used to explain the simplicity of the application of the model. Key words: compaction, construction equipment, earthwork, economic analysis, excavation, operational research, optimization, transportation.