Automating measurement process to improve quality management for piping fabrication Mahdi Safa a, ⁎, Arash Shahi a , Mohammad Nahangi a , Carl Haas a , Hamid Noori b a Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada b School of Business & Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3C5, Canada abstract article info Article history: Received 3 June 2014 Received in revised form 26 February 2015 Accepted 11 March 2015 Available online xxxx Keywords: Construction quality assurance Piping fabrication Staged-fabrication 3D imaging technologies Optimization Handheld laser scanner Photogrammetry Addressing deficiencies and defects that occur during construction projects, particularly in piping fabrication, is costly and time consuming. The current quality management process associated with piping fabrication has a number of limitations, resulting primarily from human error and lack of consistency. This research therefore in- troduces an automated process for construction quality management that employs automated technologies for detecting defects, to contribute to the existing body of knowledge. The system relies on piping construction data collected with the use of photogrammetry and laser scanning, which are then used as a means of comparing the work actually performed to that designed. The developed three-station quality management model has the potential to decrease the overall cost of a project by reducing the fabrication rework required as well as by avoiding costly and time-consuming site assembly realignments, which are often caused by defects in the fabri- cation and delivery processes. © 2015 The Institution of Structural Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction In construction, a quality assurance (QA) system refers to the meth- od by which owners and contractors use systematic quantitative and qualitative measurements to ensure adequate confidence that a prod- uct, process, or service will conform to contract requirements [1,2]. Given the dynamic construction environment, failure to achieve ade- quate quality levels in construction processes has long been an obstacle to the delivery of projects on time and on budget. Effective improve- ments in the quality assurance systems associated with construction processes therefore offer significant promise [3–5]. Construction pro- jects are characterized by their one-off nature, with consequent inher- ent lack of standardization and an extreme number of changes in product design details over the lifecycle of a project [6–9]. In addition, current QA processes primarily involve paper forms and manual human operations, which are inaccurate, time-consuming, expensive, and labor intensive [10–12]. The associated problems may cause delays in completion of the project and may trigger claims by the owner and other parties [13]. The new technologies offer potential advantages to the currently used manual systems by using less process time and having a smaller footprint and features beyond the restrictions of tradi- tional measuring devices [14]. Despite the increasing attention this area of research has been re- ceiving in the literature, developing an applicable project-wide model (a framework) for the piping spools measurement control process is still novel. While, the theoretical aspects of developing a new automated quality measurement model are evolving, the de- bates over more specific and often practical applications remain somewhat inconclusive. Whereas, many organizations collect quality data such as defect rates, error rates, and rework rate for piping fabrica- tion, a project-wide automated measurement process has not been de- fined. Hence, we introduce an automated measurement framework to improve the process of identifying inspection (measurement) goals, inspection planning, as-built data acquisition, and defect detection in different phases of a project. We discuss the validation of this formalism based on different project studies. The scope of the research presented in this paper was limited to the development of a QA model of the built dimensional quality of prefabricated pipe spools and pipe modules that have been pro- duced using a staged-fabrication process. The application of staged- fabrication techniques has resulted in a profound change in the con- struction industry worldwide [15–18]. Prefabrication can be defined as “a manufacturing process, generally taking place at a specialized facility, in which various materials are joined to form a component part of a final installation” [19]. Any component that is manufactured offsite and is not a complete system can be considered prefabricated, including pipe spools and pipe modules (Fig. 1). Benefits include improved quality, enhanced design, reduced project time, and less Structures xxx (2015) xxx–xxx ⁎ Corresponding author at: Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Assistant, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1. ISTRUC-00024; No of Pages 10 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2015.03.003 2352-0124/© 2015 The Institution of Structural Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Structures journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/structures Please cite this article as: Safa M, et al, Automating measurement process to improve quality management for piping fabrication, Structures (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2015.03.003