Special-Length-Priority Algorithm to Minimize Reinforcing Bar-Cutting Waste for Sustainable Construction

Reinforcing bars (rebar), which have the most embodied carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) per unit weight in built environments, generate a significant amount of cutting waste during the construction phase. Excessive cutting waste not only increases the construction cost but also contribute...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dongho Lee, Seunghyun Son, Doyeong Kim, Sunkuk Kim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
Series:Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/5950
Description
Summary:Reinforcing bars (rebar), which have the most embodied carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) per unit weight in built environments, generate a significant amount of cutting waste during the construction phase. Excessive cutting waste not only increases the construction cost but also contributes to a significant amount of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. The objective of this paper is to propose a special-length-priority cutting waste minimization (CWM) algorithm for rebar, for sustainable construction. In the proposed algorithms, the minimization method by special and stock lengths was applied. The minimization by special length was performed first, and then the combination by stock length was performed for the remaining rebar. As a result of verifying the proposed algorithms through a case application, it was confirmed that the quantity of rebar was reduced by 6.04% compared with the actual quantity used. In the case building, a CO<sub>2</sub> emissions reduction of 406.6 ton-CO<sub>2</sub> and a cost savings of USD 119,306 were confirmed. When the results of this paper are applied in practice, they will be used as a tool for sustainable construction management as well as for construction cost reduction.
ISSN:2071-1050