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Virginia Tech

Land Leveling Using Optimal Earthmoving Vehicle Routing

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This thesis presents new solution approaches for land leveling, using optimal earthmoving vehicle routing. It addresses the Shortest Route Cut and Fill Problem (SRCFP) developed by Henderson, Vaughan, Wakefield and Jacobson [2000]. The SRCFP is a discrete optimization search problem, proven to be NP-hard. The SRCFP describes the process of reshaping terrain through a series of cuts and fills. This process is commonly done when leveling land for building homes, parking lots, etc. The model used to represent this natural system is a variation of the Traveling Salesman Problem. The model is designed to limit the time needed to operate expensive, earthmoving vehicles. The model finds a vehicle route that minimizes the total time required to travel between cut and fill locations while leveling the site. An optimal route is a route requiring the least amount of travel time for an individual earthmoving vehicle. This research addresses the SRCFP by evaluating minimum function values across an unknown response surface. The result is a cost estimating strategy that provides construction planners a strategy for contouring terrain as cheaply as possible. Other applications of this research include rapid runway repair, and robotic vehicle routing.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Industrial and Systems Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Industrial and Systems Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2002

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • McInvale, Howard D.
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Koelling, C. Patrick
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Bish, Ebru K.
  • Wakefield, Ronald R.

Subjects

dc:subject × 7

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-04292002-164112
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/42356

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

McInvale, Howard D.. Land Leveling Using Optimal Earthmoving Vehicle Routing. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/42356