Innovative Engineering Decision Framework for Pile Cap Eccentricity Assessment in Irrigation Infrastructure Projects

Abstract

Abstract— Eccentricity of pile walls is a critical structure often encountered in irrigation infrastructure construction projects. It is caused by alignment deviation, construction tolerance limitations and foundation position inaccuracy. If not systematically assessed during construction, eccentricity can cause uneven load transfer, structural instability and long-term durability issues. Meanwhile, practical procedures for assessing pile wall eccentricity in irrigation pumping infrastructure are still limited, especially in engineering applications related to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in industrial environments. Therefore, this study proposes an innovative decision-making framework, called ECCENFIX. It also assesses pile wall eccentricity in irrigation infrastructure projects. The framework is derived from industrial engineering practices and also includes site inspection, plan verification, eccentricity measurement, structural assessment, risk classification and corrective actions. Where a qualitative assessment approach was adopted, based on the analysis of project documentation, engineering observations and infrastructure assessment procedures from irrigation pumping station projects. The results were found that the proposed framework offers a systematic engineering workflow. It also identifies eccentricity issues and improves engineering decision-making during construction implementation. in fact, this framework promotes practical on-the-job learning in technical and vocational engineering education by integrating real-world construction case studies into the technical assessment process. The proposed ECCENFIX framework can help engineers, contractors and technical education institutions improve their initial assessment practices for future irrigation infrastructure projects.

Keywords— Engineering framework, pile cap eccentricity, irrigation infrastructure, foundation assessment, TVET engineering