Tunnel

Tunnel design

Designers of several disciplines need to coordinate their work to design a tunnel. This post describes a scientific case study of how to produce an integral design more efficiently.

Sector: Private

Industry: Construction

Domain: Tunnels

Tunnel design.

Improve tunnel design: Preparation

Describe

Organization. The design and construction of a tunnel involves designers from seven different disciplines. In a tunnel engineering project, they produce seven partial designs of a tunnel, one for each discipline, together forming an integral design. When they find alignment conflicts between the partial designs, they resolve them and modify their partial designs.

Environmental factors. A tunnel engineering project is a tender project. In the preparation phase, the information needed for design is limited. During execution, time and money are limited.

Issues. The more alignment conflicts between partial designs, the more effort, time, and money it takes to resolve them.

Present

Goal. Increase performance.

Objective. Minimize the number of alignment conflicts between partial designs.

Benefits.

  • Higher first time right.
  • Less development costs.

Improve tunnel design: Execution

Visualize

Identify

  • Realization / Delivery / Servicing / Formulation of a solution:
    • Develop a conflict-free partial design.
    • Combine partial designs into an integral design.

Compare

  • Stakeholder needs:
    • Develop a conflict-free partial design.
    • Combine partial designs into an integral design.

Analyze

Characterize

  • Knowledge:
    • Combine partial designs into an integral design.
  • Experience:
    • Develop a conflict-free partial design.

Appraise

  • No presence:
    • Develop a conflict-free partial design.
  • Full presence:
    • Combine partial designs into an integral design.

Realize

Acquire

  • System. Define a formal meta-model of designs as follows:
    1. Define an ontology of designs.
    2. Transform the ontology of designs into a formal meta-model.
  • System. Create a digital repository of designs as follows:
    1. Create a digital repository.
    2. Implement the formal meta-model of designs in the digital repository.
  • System. Create standard operating procedures for the following activities:
    • Manage a formal meta-model of designs.
    • Manage a digital repository of designs.
    • Develop a conflict-free partial design.
  • Skills. Train designers in the following activities:
    • Manage a formal meta-model of designs.
    • Manage a digital repository of designs.
    • Develop a conflict-free partial design.