Supplementing well recognised practical models of project and construction management, based on probabilistic and fuzzy events may make possible to transfer the weight of the change and extra orders assessment from the qualitative form to a quantitative one. This assessment, however, is naturally burdened with an immeasurable, subjective aspect. Elaboration of probability of occurrence in a construction project unforeseen building works requires application (in addition to the non-measureable, qualitative criteria) of measurable (quantitative) criteria which still appear during construction project implementation. In reimbursable engineering contracts, a random event described as an extra, supplementary building work has a random character and occurs with a specific likelihood. In lump sum contracts, on the other hand, such a random event has a fuzzy character and its occurrence is defined in a linear manner by the function of affiliation to the set of fuzzy events being identical with unforeseen events. The strive for quantitative presentation of criteria regarded by nature as qualitative and the intention to determine relations between them led to the application of the fuzzy sets theory to this issue. Their properties enable description of the unforeseen works of construction projects in an unambiguous, quantitative way.
The article introduces a new proposal of a defuzzification method, which can be implemented in fuzzy controllers. The first chapter refers to the origin of fuzzy sets. Next, a modern development based on this theory is presented in the form of ordered fuzzy numbers (OFN). The most important characteristics of ordered fuzzy numbers are also presented. In the following chapter, details about the defuzzification process are given as part of the fuzzy controller model. Then a new method of defuzzification is presented. The method is named center of circles intersection (CCI). The authors compare this method with a similar geometric solution: triangular expanding (TE) and geometric mean (GM). Also, the results are compared with other methods such as center of gravity (COG), first of maxima (FOM) and last of maxima (LOM). The analysis shows that the proposed solution works correctly and provides results for traditional fuzzy numbers as well as directed fuzzy numbers. The last chapter contains a summary, in which more detailed conclusions are provided and further directions of research are indicated.
The new approach to the construction project planning is presented in the article. The classical net model is enriched by the fuzzy decision node. The decision node allows for alternate choices dependent on appearing circumstances. The alternative net model with fuzzy decision node is an acyclic multi-graph, where some, chosen nodes (events) have multiple connections. These connections represent alternative methods of the certain work execution. Every work (activity) (i, j) in the net model with alternative methods of work execution, despite the basic information comprising the execution time, the cost, the number of necessary workers, should comprise additional information e.g. about a complexity of works, a real feasibility. The alternative ways of a given work execution are evaluated in the decision node based on the fuzzy decision model. Each method is evaluated by assigning it the preference level in a form of the value of the membership function – „equal or higher” μ≥. The most preferable way of the work execution in a given circumstances, will have the highest value of preference level. When the choice is done the net model is solved in the traditional way. Therefore, the paper concentrates on the process of choosing the method of work execution in the fuzzy decision node. The example calculations accompanying the process of decision taking are presented too. The model requires the use of linguistic variables, a fuzzy numbers, as well as fuzzy preference relations together with some calculations applied the probability theory.
The article outlines how to use the convergence of collections to determine the position of a mobile device based on the WiFi radio signal strength with the use of fuzzy sets. The main aim is the development of the method for indoor position determination based on existing WiFi network infrastructure indoors. The approach is based on the WiFi radio infrastructure existing inside the buildings and requires operating mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. An SQL database engine is also necessary as a widespread data interface. The SQL approach is not limited to the determination of the position but also to the creation of maps in which the system dening the position of the mobile device will operate. In addition, implementation issues are presented along with the distribution of the burden of performing calculations and the benets of such an approach for determining the location. The authors describe how to decompose the task of determining the position in a client-server architecture.
The paper presents the results of assessment studies of the time course for technical wear in masonry buildings located in the area of mining-induced ground deformations. By using fuzzy inference system (FIS) and the “if-then” rule, corresponding language labels describing actual damage recorded in structure components were translated into scalar outputs describing the degree of damage to the building. Adopting this approach made it possible to separate damage resulting from additional effects coming from mining-induced ground deformations and the natural wear and tear of masonry structure. By using statistical analysis an exponential function for the condition of building damage and the function of natural wear and tear were developed. Both phenomena were subject to studies as a function of time regarding the technical age of building structure. The results obtained were used to develop a model for the course of technical wear of traditionally constructed buildings used within mining areas.
In the course of natural wear and tear buildings located in mining areas are additionally exposed to forced ground deformations. The increase of internal forces in structure components induced by those effects results in creating an additional stress factor and damage. The hairline cracks and cracks of building structure components take place when the intensity value of mining effects becomes higher than the component stress resistance and repeated effects result in the decrease of structure rigidity. The observations of building behaviour in mining areas show that the intensity of mining activity and the multiplicity of its effect play a substantial role in the course of technical wear of buildings. The studies show that the level of damage resulting from mining effects adds up to natural wear and tear of the building and impairs the global technical condition as compared to similar buildings used outside mining areas.
Civil engineering is one of the many fields of occurrences of uncertain parameters. The present paper in an attempt to present and describe the most common methods used for inclusions of uncertain parameters . These methods can be applied in the area of civil engineering as well as for a larger domain. Definitions and short explanations of methods based on probability, interval analysis, fuzzy sets, and convex sets are presented. Selected advantages, disadvantages, and the most common fields of implementation are indicated.
An example of a cantilever beam presented in this paper shows the main differences between the methods. Results of the performed analysis indicate that the use of convex sets allows us to obtain an accuracy of results similar to stochastic models. At the same time, the computational speed characteristic for interval methods is maintained.
A group of old apartment houses with the age over 100 years (that is those carried out before the First World War) takes an important place in polish building resources. Technical maintenance of apartment houses, traditional methods erected, is nowadays and will be a valid problem in the nearest future. The results of the work refer to the general population, estimated for 600 objects, that is about 20% of municipal downtown apartment houses in Wrocław.
The purpose of the research was to identify an influence of widely considered maintenance of apartment houses on a degree and intensity of their elements’ deterioration. The goal of the work has been fulfilled by symptoms’ analysis of declining of inspected elements’ exploitation values, that is identification of mechanics of their defects arising.
The range of the work has required creation of original qualitative model of pinpointed defects and its transfer into quantitative one. It has made possible to analyse the reason - effect phenomena „defect - technical wear” relevant to the most important elements of Wroclaw downtown district’s apartment houses. The research procedure has been conducted in accordance of fuzzy sets theory which made possible to describe qualitative model of pinpointed defects and its transfer into a quantitative one.
The operational mineral deposit reconnaissance tends to evaluate its parameters to conduct safe and profitable production. Particular deposit parameters, important from the point of mineral deposit management, are estimated on the basis of observations carried out by mining geological surveys. These observations usually involve sampling, drilling, laboratory analyses and others. The use of fuzzy description to assess the parameters of the mineral deposit was proposed in the paper. In the fuzzy characteristics, an imprecise descriptive description appeared in place of a particular numerical quantity. This approach was used to description of the ore deposit features (metal content, volume, and metal yield) by assigning them specific characteristic functions, whose distributions were based on basic statistical quantities. Characteristic functions can be used to prepare operational strategies for any configuration of required deposit parameters resulting from the production management needs. For this purpose, selected logical operators of fuzzy sets were used. In the next approach to fuzzy modeling, an opportunity to characterize the deposit in a subjective approach was indicated, where the assessment of the deposit parameters is based on rough, in some way, discretionary observation and evaluation. Such model construction enabled the overall assessment of the deposit from the point of view of any parameters. Through the implementation of appropriate inference rules, adequate fuzzy control planes were obtained, which may also be useful in the context of operational mine strategy planning.
The basis for a mineral deposit delimitation is a qualitative and quantitative assessment of deposit parameters, qualifying a deposit as an economically valuable object. A conventional approach to the mineral deposit recognition and a deposit detailed parameters qualification in the initial stages of development work in the KGHM were presented in the paper. The goals of such recognition were defined, which through a gradual detailed expansion, resulting from the information inflow, allows for the construction of a more complete decision-making model. The description of the deposit parameters proposed in the article in the context of fuzzy logic, enables a presentation of imprecise statements and data, which may be a complement to a traditional description. Selected non-adjustable and adjustable s-norm and t-norm operators were demonstrated. Operators effects were tested for selected ore quality parameters (copper content and deposit thickness) by constructing adequate membership functions. In a practical application, the use of chosen fuzzy logic operators is proposed for the assessment of the qualitative parameters of copper-silver ore in the exploitation blocks for one of the mines belonging to KGHM Polish Copper S.A. The considerations have been extended by including the possibility of using compensation operators.
Hydrocarbon production under certain geological conditions of these deposits can cause surface subsidence and deformation of the terrain surface. Such deformations appear as subsidence troughs of considerable range and the magnitude of the subsidence depending on the total thickness of the reservoir, compaction properties of reservoir and on the number of other factors. In the past there have been widely recognized magnitudes of the subsidence up to 9 meters. The stress zones in the subsidence trough may affect the buildings and surface structures. However there have been well known some cases of destroyed boreholes or pipelines belonging to the gas or oil mine. Therefore there is a requirement to analyze the possibility of occurrence unfavorable phenomenon on the ground surface, to monitor surface deformations during production and to protect surface infrastructure located in the range of mining influences. In the paper the issue of surface subsidence caused by hydrocarbon production has been presented. The cause - effect relationship between the compaction of thereservoir rock and the subsidence of surface area has been assumed. The prediction model base on the influence function and on the superposition of elementary influences. For the purpose of building damage protection a new model of risk assessment has been developed. This model base on the elements of fuzzy logicallows to incorporate in the analysis the quantitative and qualitative factors that contribute to the risk of building damage. Use of the fuzzy logic made it possible to obtain one value which clearly discriminate the risk of buildings damage. However, risk analyzes of damage to the large number of buildings has been required additional tools. The spatial analysis has been made by using GIS. The subjects of the paper have been illustrated with a practical example.