Fuzzy decision support system to determine swell/shrink factor affecting earthwork optimization of highways

The optimization of cut and fill volumes of a highway infrastructure is crucial for minimizing the total earthwork cost. Borrow material swells after excavation and shrinks when mechanical compaction is applied; in this respect, it may be misleading to calculate cut-fill volumes directly without considering the amount of swelling and/or shrinkage. On the other hand, determination of such factors characterizing shrinkage/swelling behavior is highly ambiguous. The aim of this paper is to present the applicability of a fuzzy rule-based system for choosing swelling/shrinkage factors affecting the precision of earthwork optimization. This approach may assist in any highway alignment procedure to handle cut and fill volumes more accurately.