Simulation of the structural steel erection process

Abstract

The construction industry's growth and the adoption of newer means, methods, and materials of construction have resulted in an increase in complexity of on-site construction processes. Consequently, the construction industry's need for advanced tools and techniques to study, plan, and manage these complex construction processes has developed. This paper illustrates a Petri Net based hierarchical and modular modeling and analysis technique that can be used for simulation of complex construction processes. Through the use of hierarchy, modularity, and resource modeling, Petri Nets provide clear advantages in the modeling of complex construction processes. This paper highlights the advanced features of Petri Nets and their utilization in the modeling and analysis of a structural steel erection process.

Simulation Modelling Construction Project With Repetitive Tasks Using Petri Nets Theory

“…Wakefi eld and Sears claim that Petri nets are a more universal tool for modelling cyclical processes than Microcyclone method. Sawhney, Mund, and Marble (1999) applied hierarchical modelling methodology to mapping a steel erection process. This approach has been developed and also used by to analyse a concrete production plant.…”

“…Their essential advantage is the possibility of mapping concurrency, asynchronism, hierarchism of modelled systems. Due to these advantages Petri nets are used for modelling and analysing complex discrete event dynamic systems such as manufacturing, operational systems, distributed data bases, and also for complex construction processes; see Körner and Franz (1989), Sawhney, Mund, and Marble (1999), Sawhney, Abudayych, and Chaitavatputtiporn (1999), Sawhney (1997), Wakefi eld and Sears (1997) for examples.…”

EZStrobe-general-purpose simulation system based on activity cycle diagrams

“…The Haul2 Bound Activity in Figure 4, for example, was replaced by the WtH12 Queue and the Haul2 Conditional Activity in Figure 5. Fusion Queues were inspired by the Fusion Places used in some extended Petri Nets and described by Sawhney et al (1999) in the modeling of steel erection operations.…”