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Groundbreaking Technology

Editorial Type: Feature     Date: 09-2014    Views: 3186   








Linking infrastructure models to earth movers allows road and rail contractors to save both time and money, thanks to the integration of resources between Bentley's OpenRoads and Trimble's Business Centre - HCE Office Software.

Some years ago (I don't really care to remember how many) I wrote about using GPS in the cab of a heavy grader. It was fairly basic stuff then, and involved a large slice of terrain that had to be shifted in Australia. I haven't heard much about it since, until I received a news release from Bentley outlining the collaboration between Bentley Systems and Trimble to launch the next advance in information mobility between project design and field construction.

The technology involved in putting a GPS system in the cab of an earth mover and linking it up to a 3D model of the plot of ground it is working on, is actually pretty straightforward. The latest devices are very accurate and allow the operator to not only define the location of the vehicle, but the edge of the scraper blade and its orientation. In doing so, it can be used to take off inches at a time. But you can't just download a 3D model created using an application like Bentley's OpenRoads and start digging; the model has to be prepared and divided into different types of ground finish, angles of cut and fills, drainage and ditches, and a lot more - all using an assortment of construction vehicles.

The biggest projects involving substantial amounts of earth shifting are road and rail related - hence the integration with Bentley's OpenRoads technology, enabling the infrastructure information in their 3D models to be shared, using i-model technology, with Trimble's Business Centre - HCE office software, an integrated workflow for road and site construction used for data preparation and take-off.

Business Centre - HCE (Heavy Civil Engineering) sorts the model data into easily identifiable layers, with 3D visualisation showing multiple surfaces, corridors, textures and images, making it easy for site operators to assimilate and work on. Surface work can be divided into different categories, each of which has specific constraints, from Finish Grade models to ditch excavation, and shows curbs, walkways, islands, ponds, drainage swales and so on.

It doesn't just simplify the digging either. The software is used to manage the whole operation, allocating resources, optimising heavy machinery usage and saving time and money. Business Centre - HCE is also used to manage the flow of data with the original 3D model, keeping it up to date in real-time with excavation work carried out from the cab of each earth moving vehicle. It includes all associated site activity such as paving, retaining walls and the positioning of drilling and piling systems.

EARTHWORKS MODELLING
Right from the start the solution proves its worth. With the digital model in the cab, there is no further requirement for site surveyors dividing the site into vehicle operation zones and marking out the vehicle paths with stakes. The software not only shows exactly where the operator has to start work, but also the blade depth and angle for different types of fill or gradients, The onboard control box determines the position of each tip of the blade and compares it to the design elevation to compute cut or fill to grade.

The operator then uses cut/fill data to drive the valves for automatic blade control (with light bar indicators providing visual guidance to the operator) and even provides an audible warning when the vehicle strays off path. I wonder when we will hear that the vehicle operator can go and have a coffee break whilst the machine does the work!

It's not just a simple cut and fill that has to be carried out. The prepared model has to include subgrade information and to allow for asphalt, concrete, topsoil and other construction material thicknesses. An over-excavated model can even be created, allowing soil to be removed below the depth required and back-filled with compacted material. Such is the accuracy of the model that the levels of each can be defined in inches for different categories of usage (a road surface with 6 inches of asphalt for the carriageway and just 4 inches for a layby, perhaps?).



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