Impact of Reinforcement Design on Rebar Productivity

Abstract

Scheduling is an essential part of project management, and many processes like procurement, fabrication, and resource mobilization are based on these schedules. If the actual targets lag from the preplanned schedules, waste is generated in the form of idle inventory. It also results in an increased workload on man and machinery, leading to errors and rework. Schedules are impacted by unreliable productivity estimates assumed during planning stages. In construction, project productivity can vary based on several factors. Reinforcement productivity is affected by factors like site layout, labour skill, design, learning effect, etc. The impact of reinforcement design on productivity is poorly studied, especially in heavily reinforced structures. Thus, the main objective of this study is to validate the hypothesis that reinforcement design affects productivity, which can be used to predict productivity for future structures. The methodology for this study is divided into 3 phases; 1st phase involves data collection and literature review, 2nd phase involves modelling rebar productivity by data fitting models to understand the factors of reinforcement design that affect productivity. MATLAB and Microsoft Excel are tools used in the data fitting process. In the final phase, based on this model, appropriate actions are suggested to improve productivity. Discussion on the aspects of reinforcement design that are found to have an impact on productivity is also detailed.