After finishing the course, the student is able to:
- Set up a process control system for construction processes;
- Apply appropriate sensors and innovations to measure process variability in construction;
- Collect, analyse, visualise and evaluate process data; and
- Apply and integrate appropriate SPC techniques to improve process control
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Road construction processes are often described as being traditional where work methods are based on implicit knowledge and custom, leading to extensive variability in the final constructed road. Process control is defined as those activities involved in ensuring a process is predictable, stable, and consistently operating at the target level of performance with only normal variation. The goal therefore is to ensure that the process variability inherent in the asphalt construction process as a result of the custom-based work practices, is reduced to within acceptable limits. This requires that the construction process is explicit, meaning that key process parameters such as temperature homogeneity and compaction are measured, visualised and improved upon in a scientific manner.
This course focuses on how new sensor technologies and innovations can be integrated into construction processes in order to reduce process variability and improve overall quality. Using the case of asphalt construction, students are taught the fundamentals of process control with the main goal of reducing process variability.
The main topics covered in this course are:
- Fundamentals of process control
- Asphalt mix design to construction and maintenance – the need for science-based approaches
- Measuring variability in construction processes – a sensor-based approach
- Integrating sensors and innovative technologies to improve process control
- Visualization and Simulation tools for construction processes
- Using sensor data to apply Statistical Process Control techniques in Quality Control
- Integrating real-time systems into method-based operational strategies
This course will be examined by means of one mid-term oral exam, one individual written assignment and one group assignment
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