Efficiency Scoring for Subway Tunnel Construction Based on Shield-Focused Big Data and Gaussian Broad Learning System

Abstract

During subway tunnel construction, the consumed time for each ring (unit of construction progress) is highly dependent on objective factors such as geological conditions and shield performances, as well as subjective reasons including workers’ proficiency and contractors’ management skills. It is nontrivial to score each ring’s efficiency from an objective angle, so that workers and contractors can receive fair evaluations. In this paper, a scoring method driven by construction big data is proposed. First, to resolve the high-dimensionality problem, a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) was employed to cluster rings of similar conditions in a probabilistic style so that detailed information can be retained. Second, the standard time to finish one ring was analyzed, so that each ring can be labeled as fail or pass, and our task can be considered as a classification problem. Third, for each cluster, a broad learning system (BLS) was developed as a classifier due to its advantages of fast computation and incremental learning. Finally, the BLS was trained with real tunneling data of 23,822 rings, and then scorecards were developed, where results of validation and statistical tests suggested that our method outperforms conventional ones. Feedback from the subway company and two compared contractors suggested that the proposed method is fair and practical, and it could reveal management problems that were easily overlooked. For subway shield tunnels, this study proposes a construction progress scoring method driven by big data for subway companies to evaluate the performance of each construction unit, e.g., each ring of the shield tunnel is treated as a sample analysis. First, in view of the difficulty of many geological types and risk variables, the Gaussian mixture method is used to classify the samples and obtain probability that each ring belongs to a certain geological type. Statistical analysis is used to calculate the shield standard time of each geological type, so that the time interval of pass can be determined. Second, a broad learning model with low calculation and updating cost is constructed to fit the mapping relationship between geological factors and construction progress. With this model, each ring can be scored. Finally, through the model training and verification of 23,822 ring data in seven subway intervals, results suggest that the method is practical. Our method can objectively reflect the work efficiency and management ability of different contractors and workers. In addition, suggestions can be elicited to improve the management level of construction units.