Developing the statistical parameters for simultaneous variation in final payload and total load time

It is argued that the two principal components of simulating earthmoving operations are modeling and providing input data. The knowledge and proficiency in modeling has been substantially improved through general-purpose simulation systems such as CYCLONE and STROBOSCOPE. However, the inability to provide statistically reliable input data to the models is source of concern. Automated data collection through instrumented vehicles provides the first opportunity to collect cycle time data in a continuous manner and hence, provide a statistically reliable data set. This paper presents the use of automated data to fit probabilistic distributions that are used as input to simulation models. This paper also describes a methodology to develop statistical parameters for simultaneous variation in payload and load time through the concept of a payload-time (PLT) map. Field data from on-going earthmoving projects is used to illustrate these concepts