Transportation-Induced Impact on a Prefinished Volumetric Modular House Using Trailer Bogie: Case Study
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 150, Issue 7
Abstract
The modular construction industry struggles to implement the modularization strategy appropriately due to a poor understanding of the differences between stick-built and modular construction methods and unique modular challenges. Among many modular challenges, transporting prefinished volumetric modules is one of the underinvestigated key challenges—the conventional methods for module transportation [e.g., truck, self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT), and so on), although fitting for projects comprising multiple modules, are not ideal for projects with fewer modules and limited jobsite space. This study investigates hydraulic jacks and trailer bogie as the potential alternative transporting and module lifting/offloading methods by examining how the prefinished volumetric housing module is affected during the lifting, transporting (on-road and jobsite), and offloading phases of transportation. A sensor was installed on the volumetric housing module to record transportation-induced shocks in front-to-back tilt and left-to-right roll, deformation, and impact. The peaks and lows recorded for tilt and roll during each transportation phase were 42, 57, 1, and 0, and 346, 70, 6, and 14, respectively. The results indicated that impacts to the module were more directly associated with left-to-right rolls than front-to-back tilt, because high rolls primarily reflected the module making wide turns, whereas no deformation or impact was recorded. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by highlighting the hydraulic jack and trailer bogie as potential alternatives to the conventional crane and truck under certain conditions through the assessment of the transportation-induced impact on the prefinished volumetric housing module.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or codes that support the findings of this research are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This paper was written based on a Master’s thesis titled ‘Measuring Impacts and Vibrations on a Volumetric Modular House During Transportation’ submitted for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering - Civil and Environmental Engineering at UNLV (Song 2022), and further developed with the support of the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA) grant funded by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Grant No. RS-2020-KA158109). The authors would also like to thank the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) for the CES 2020 Green Grant and the UNLV Troesh Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation for the 2021 Troesh Research Grant, which helped authors to purchase the sensors and execute this research.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 150 • Issue 7 • July 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 25, 2023
Accepted: Jan 4, 2024
Published online: May 8, 2024
Published in print: Jul 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Oct 8, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Case studies
- Construction engineering
- Construction management
- Construction methods
- Continuum mechanics
- Deformation (mechanics)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering mechanics
- Housing
- Hydraulic engineering
- Hydraulics
- Infrastructure
- Methodology (by type)
- Modular structures
- Project management
- Research methods (by type)
- Solid mechanics
- Structural engineering
- Structural mechanics
- Structures (by type)
- Urban and regional development
- Water and water resources
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