Fuzzy logic index for subsurface utility engineering

Abstract

Conflict with subsurface utilities during project implementation is a growing concern for many municipalities as it increases time and budget. Subsurface utilities refer to buried infrastructures such as water, gas, and electric lines, which vary in material, size, and configuration. Many existing subsurface utility studies proposed to assist in decision-making use traditional computer or paper log methods, exhausting time and affecting accuracy. In this study, a fuzzy logic model is used to develop a complexity number named Fuzzy Logic Index for Subsurface Utility Engineering (FLI-SUE) to determine the appropriate investigation level of subsurface utilities for engineering project implementation. This complexity number does not have units, and its value spans between 0 and 100. The higher the FLI-SUE number, the higher the investigation level of subsurface utilities. FLI-SUE number may assist planners, operators, engineers and decision-makers in determining the most appropriate response to the subsurface utility conflicts in projects construction. A set of input parameters presented in the literature were considered in the current fuzzy logic model.