SMARTSITE

Brief description

SMARTSITE develops smart control systems for autonomous construction machines and equipment which are also capable of co-operating along the entire logistics chain. A model motorway construction site is being viewed as an application case where a control centre sends the work jobs to the construction machines and equipment and provides additional information, for instance, regarding environmental conditions. The development of uniform standards for exchanging data and providing information outside the scope of the construction site is an important aspect of this project. The overall goal is to significantly improve the efficiency of road construction and the quality of the roads build, especially with a view to longer durability.

Challenge

In road construction, bituminisation work is one of the critical steps. The slightest defects in the material properties or when laying or compacting the asphalt can impair quality significantly, a fact that is often not discovered until after the work has been completed. There are many reasons for this, including the many legally and economically independent stakeholders, a lack of communication standards, insufficient sensor technology, networking and use of existing data, as well as the lack of automation to date. The consequences are extensive rework, or in worst case scenarios, removal and reconstruction, and this can lead to much higher costs. In road construction, this can total up to 5% of the construction sum.

Aim

The aim of the SMARTSITE project is hence to develop open and flexible software platforms for smart construction site networks, construction process control, autonomous construction machines and equipment. These platforms will lead to automation of existing distributed systems and their networking with each other and the construction site environment on the basis of uniform standards. The improved exchange of information and the provision of information beyond the construction site fence promise vastly improved quality as well as economic and ecological benefits for projects.

Technologies

Bituminisation work calls for co-ordinated interaction between the laying of the material and subsequent compaction using a roller. SMARTSITE is developing algorithms for autonomous control of single, mobile construction machines and their co-ordination. Autonomous control responds here in realtime to current environmental conditions (rain, temperature, wind, etc.), material properties (e.g. asphalt temperature and density, compaction thickness) and machine conditions (e.g. position, loading status) in order to achieve optimum laying and compaction results. In the interest of quality-driven control, a vast variety of sensors are integrated into the construction material, into the construction machines themselves and even into the ambient environment and then combined with external information, such as weather service or traffic congestion reports to form so-called smart dust. This kind of construction site network requires a reliable and secure communications network where very different elements and processes can be integrated dynamically on the basis of uniform standards. The data continuously captured is used not only for smart control of the construction machines, but also for efficient monitoring and continuous documentation of the entire construction process for all stakeholders, from the machine operator and the construction supervisor to the customer. Intervention into all process steps is possible, no matter where no matter when, thanks to cloud-based services and mobile terminal devices. Using the construction site network, smart optimisation algorithms along the entire value chain in road construction, from the asphalt mixing machine and transport logistics right down to the individual construction machines, can boost the efficiency of energy and resource consumption.

Use case

The innovations described will be tested in the field in different simulations, experiments and realistic application scenarios of a pilot project.

Partners: Drees & Sommer Infra Consult und Entwicklungsmanagement GmbH (consortium leader), Ammann Verdichtung GmbH, ceapoint aec technologies GmbH, Ed. Züblin AG, Universität Hohenheim, Topcon Deutschland GmbH