BIM-Based Data Mining Approach to Estimating Job Man-Hour Requirements in Structural Steel Fabrication

• Author / Creator

  Hu, Xiaolin

• In a steel fabrication shop, jobs from different clients and projects are generally processed simultaneously in order to streamline production processes, improve resource utilization, and achieve cost-effectiveness in serving multiple concurrent steel-erection sites. Reliable quantity takeoff on each job and accurate estimation of shop fabrication man-hour requirements are crucial to plan and control fabrication operations and resource allocation on the shop floor. Building information modeling (BIM) is intended to integrate multifaceted characteristics of a building facility, but finds its application in structural steel fabrication largely limited to design and drafting. This research focuses on extending BIM’s usage further to the planning and control phases in steel fabrication. Using data extracted from BIM-based models, a linear regression model is developed to provide the man-hour requirement estimate for a particular job. Actual data collected from a steel fabrication company was used to train and validate the model. Two Excel macro-enabled workbooks were also developed to provide decision-making support in fabrication planning.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Structural Steel Fabrication
  • BIM
  • Linear Regression
  • Quantity Takeoff

• Graduation date

  Spring 2015

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3W669H4N

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.