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

• Main Authors: Dongho Lee, Seunghyun Son, Doyeong Kim, Sunkuk Kim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: rebar work; cutting waste; minimization; sustainable construction; CO₂ emission; cutting stock problem
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/5950

Reinforcing bars (rebar), which have the most embodied carbon dioxide (CO₂) 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 CO₂ 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 CO₂ emissions reduction of 406.6 ton-CO₂ 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.