A VIRTUAL CONSTRUCTION MODEL OF 4D PLANNING IN ROAD PROJECT

Construction managers require innovative techniques to assist them in producing accurate planning tasks such as resource allocation and costing of activities because of unique characteristics of road construction industry. Visualisation technologies have potential to improve communications and coordination amongst the project stakeholders and to optimise onsite productivity through visual simulation of construction process and innovative planning approach. This research study introduces a framework of a 4D planning model for automatic generation of earthwork progress profiles and production cost profiles of a road section, and visualisation of the construction process throughout earthwork operations. The framework is designed and developed by integrating road design data, quantities of cut and fill sections, variable productivity data, algorithms for modelling terrain, and a road profile visualiser. The research details the model to recognise the framework outlined above and it generates progress profiles, cost histogram and a time location plan automatically for the earthwork activity. The model is validated with a real life case study in a road project and was found that the model to b