Monitoring Study on Dust Dispersion Properties during Earthwork Construction

Dust generated in earthwork construction activities can seriously affect the air quality at a construction site and have adverse effects on the health of construction workers. To accurately and quantitively analyze the distribution characteristics of construction dust and the effect of dust prevention measures during earthwork construction under normal construction and construction with dust control measures, multiple collection points and one meteorological parameter collection point were placed at the construction site. From half an hour before the construction to half an hour after the construction, the particle concentration was recorded once every minute. The monitoring results indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between dust concentration during earthwork construction and the number of soil shipments. The dust concentration was highest at the earth excavation site, followed by the area of the waste truck’s transportation path. Earth excavation primarily resulted in the generation of many coarse particles, the concentration of which was the highest near the excavation site. The average concentration increments of and TSP (total suspended particulate) caused by earthwork construction were 55.06 and 375.17 at the construction site, respectively. The concentration increment of and TSP decreased by 72.01% and 40.16%, respectively, when a spray system and artificial sprinkling were adopted. Through the methodology and results of this study, construction companies can systemically plan their construction work by considering the key equipment to be used and can effectively manage the pollutants found within construction sites.

Managing Earthwork Construction Business Institutions Applying Industry 4.0 Relating Technologies – The Case of German SMEs

The interest in Industry 4.0 relating technology in earthwork construction is increasing and continues to gain more and more in popularity. Earthwork contractors have begun to think about alternative and innovative ways to increase productivity by applying new ICT technologies. In this context they try e.g. to utilize sensors, software and information and communication tools to improve processes and to reduce workforce and total costs at the same time. However, as with many innovations, there exist companies that have not invested in these technologies yet. The objective of this paper is to investigate in technologies associated with Industry 4.0 and their potential future application-possibilities in the field of earthwork construction. Therefore, this paper conducted an in-depth literature review of relevant Industry 4.0 technology topics. Additionally, semi-structured interviews among German earthwork industry experts were conducted, which revealed several insights regarding benefits, challenges and barriers of managing relevant technologies.