The Effects of Construction Automation on Corps of Engineers Quality Assurance Practices.
Abstract
A steady decrease in skilled construction labor has spurred greater construction industry reliance on machine automation. While automation may improve productivity and quality, it may also alter established construction processes to the point of rendering many U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) quality assurance (QA) practices ineffective. This report evaluates the potential impact of construction automation on USACE QA practices. Heavy construction techniques, materials, and QA practices are reviewed. The state of construction automation is surveyed and evaluated to reveal technologies that may render current USACE construction QA techniques ineffective within the next 15 years. The machine automation characteristics that render current QA techniques ineffective are analyzed to suggest new or modified approaches that can verify automated construction quality. Current industry and research trends suggest that construction automation will have no impact on most US ACE QA practices over the next IS years. However, the automation of trenchless construction may require new QA techniques using ground-penetrating radar and magnetic sensors to verify quality. New QA techniques may also be needed to verify concrete slipforming. (AN)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA291501
Entities
People
- Steven J. Brown
- Thomas J. Kelly
Organizations
- Construction Engineering Research Laboratory