Identification of an Optimized Pile Sequence Using AnyLogic Simulation Model

The process of piling is one of the main and frequent activities in the construction industry. Piling activities usually have a significant contribution to project cost and time as a critical activity of any construction project with deep foundations. In the scheduling phase, due to spatial constraints, contractors encounter a difficulty in determining the sequence of piling that would result in the minimum piling duration and highest machinery utilization. Through this paper, a spatial simulation model using AnyLogic software is developed to utilize the locations of piles, site constraints, site boundaries, and number of available CFA equipment to determine a piling sequence that will yield an optimized project duration and cost. For model verification, a structured walkthrough method was used to assess the model results and ensure that it did not suffer from any syntax or algorithm errors. For model validation, an investigation was conducted on a project located in Egypt by using the developed model. Afterward, a conclusive result is carried to compare the model-obtained duration to the actual duration taken by the construction crew in the project. The comparison showed that the optimized model was able to produce a pile sequence that could have significantly reduced both the total duration and cost of the deep foundations’ construction activity.