Estimation of duration of earthwork with backhoe excavator by Monte Carlo Simulation

Abstract

An excavator is a construction machine that is used at constructions which involve earthworks. Pallet or wheeled ones are preferred according to the site conditions. When choosing an excavator, the unit cost of the excavation and the duration of the excavation task play an important role. There are various factors that affect efficiency of the excavator and speed of the excavation. Factors such as bucket volume of the excavator, bucket fill rate, cycle time, swing angle, type of excavated ground, as well as environment and weather conditions influence the performance of the excavators. In this study, software which estimates duration of the excavation and number of required trucks by considering different ground and environmental conditions is developed. Moreover, the software takes hauling distances and job conditions into account. The developed software calculates statistically the effect of the uncertainties in the input parameters from the randomly generated numbers by the Monte Carlo Simulation method. The software is developed by C++ programming language. Developed software can be helpful for the state institutions and private firms to determine the risks of the time and cost estimates.