Multi-level Product Information Modeling for Managing Long-term Life-cycle Product Information

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 234-245
Author(s):  
Jae-Hyun Lee ◽  
Hyo-Won Suh
Author(s):  
Anantha Narayanan ◽  
Paul Witherell ◽  
Jae Hyun Lee ◽  
K. C. Morris ◽  
Sudarsan Rachuri

Materials play a central role in product manufacturing, contributing to each phase of product development in the form of either a component or process material. As the product revolves around materials, so does much of the product information. Material information plays a significant role in the decision making process at any stage of the product life cycle, especially with respect to the sustainability of a product. Material information in the manufacturing stages of a product’s life cycle will relate to the processes used in manufacturing and assembling individual components. The material properties may determine what processes can be used and how these processes should be controlled. To support sustainable manufacturing, the impacts of material choice should be considered during design, when resources are being committed. When comparing material alternatives at design time, it is not as simple as saying one material is “more sustainable” than another. Many different factors determine the sustainability of a product, and each of these factors may be influenced by multiple material properties represented through various information requirements. In order to develop a material information model that can satisfy these information requirements, we need to carefully study the requirements from an information modeling perspective. In this paper, we use activity models to describe design and manufacturing scenarios that rely on the availability of proper material information for sustainability decision making. We will use these models to first define specific scenarios and then to identify the types of material information that is typically required in these scenarios, and collect and categorize key concepts. Based on this study, we will make recommendations that will aid the development of a useful material information model for sustainable decision making.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra D. Harris ◽  
Lori Fitzgerald

Objective: In this study, hard, resilient and soft flooring materials are compared using a building service life of 50 years, an established life span for healthcare facilities. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the life-cycle cost of flooring products and inform decision-makers about the long-term cost of ownership along with other key factors, such as safety, durability, and aesthetics.Methods: The protocol for executing an life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) is defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), including defining the problem, identifying feasible alternatives, and establishing common assumptions and parameters, as well as acquiring financial information. Product information for the flooring materials that met inclusion criteria based on characteristics of the products consistent with use in healthcare facilities was acquired including maintenance, installation, warranty, and cost data. LCCA calculations recognize the time value of money and use discounting to project future value.Results: The results generated from the LCCA using present value to project future costs provide a useful tool for projecting costs over time for the purpose of planning operational and maintenance costs associated with the long-term investment of ownership. The findings suggest that soft flooring is more cost effective for initial purchase and installation, equipment assets, and maintenance over time of facilities.Conclusions: Cost is an important factor when considering flooring materials for healthcare facilities. Other factors to be considered are safety, durability and aesthetics, cleanliness, acoustics and sustainability to realize the overall return on investment. This study developed a tool for projecting costs of ownership for facility materials, in this case, flooring. The selection of flooring material has a significant impact on the cost of ownership over the life of the facility.


Improving the efficiency of life cycle management of capital construction projects using information modeling technologies is one of the important tasks of the construction industry. The paper presents an analysis of accumulated domestic practices, including the legal and regulatory framework, assessing the effectiveness of managing the implementation of investment construction projects and of complex and serial capital construction projects, as well as the life cycle management of especially dangerous technically complex and unique capital construction projects using information modeling technologies, especially capital construction projects, as well as their supporting and using systems, primarily in the nuclear and transport sectors. A review of modern approaches to assessing the effectiveness of life cycle management systems of complex engineering systems in relation to capital construction projects is carried out. The presented material will make it possible to formulate the basic principles and prospects of applying approaches to assessing the effectiveness of the life cycle management system of a capital construction project using information modeling technologies.


The variants of the division of the life cycle of a construction object at the stages adopted in the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as in other countries are considered. Particular attention is paid to the exemplary work plan – "RIBA plan of work", used in England. A feature of this document is its applicability in the information modeling of construction projects (Building information Modeling – BIM). The article presents a structural and logical scheme of the life cycle of a building object and a list of works that are performed using information modeling technology at various stages of the life cycle of the building. The place of information models in the process of determining the service life of the building is shown. On the basis of the considered sources of information, promising directions for the development of the life cycle management system of the construction object (Life Cycle Management) and the development of the regulatory framework in order to improve the use of information modeling in construction are given.


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