Keywords

1 Introduction

The development of prefabricated buildings in China began in the 1950s, and by 1983, a total of 924 volumes of general standard atlas of buildings had been compiled, and a large number of prefabricated buildings had been built [1]. According to the requirements of the national medium - and long-term development plan for the construction industry, the proportion of prefabricated buildings in the new construction area must reach 30% by 2025 [2]. Prefabricated building is a system engineering that assembles prefabricated components on the construction site through system integration, achieving the prefabrication of the main structural components of the building. Non load-bearing retaining walls and internal partitions are not built and fully decorated [3, 4]. Compared to traditional building methods, as the factory has already produced prefabricated concrete structures in advance according to building requirements, it only needs to transport PC components to the site for assembly, and then use concrete for pouring. At present, China's construction industry has extensively produced and used prefabricated concrete structural components on a large scale. By applying PC components, the quality and efficiency of construction in China can be greatly improved, which is in line with the development concept of green and environmentally friendly architecture in China [5]. Prefabricated building construction has been fully promoted by China at the moment. The modernization of the construction industry is based on the concept of green and sustainable development. Prefabricated buildings have significant characteristics of energy conservation and environmental protection, which can vastly reduce construction waste [6].

With the continuous development of prefabricated concrete buildings, the prefabrication and assembly rates of prefabricated concrete buildings are increasing, the construction scale is becoming larger, and there are more and more types of prefabricated components. The entire process involves the exchange and update of multiple types of information on PC components from production to storage, transportation, and arrival at the construction site. Moreover, various types of information are complex and chaotic, making it difficult to collect, analyze, and utilize this information comprehensively and timely, If there is information bias in PC components at a certain stage, it will have an impact on the construction phase and is not conducive to the development of automated assembly [7, 8].

This paper utilizes the open-source web application framework Django and MySQL database to design a visualization platform for prefabricated building PC components, achieving three-dimensional visualization and data management of prefabricated building PC components in the storage management process, the prefabricated component lifting and installation management process, and the prefabricated component operation and maintenance management process.

2 Platform Development Environment

Computer Hardware: 11th Gen Intel (R) Core (TM) i5-1135G7 @ 2.40 GHz 2.42 GHz, with 8.00 GB of memory.

  • Operating System: Win10 Home Chinese version.

  • JDK Environment: Java SE Development Kit (JDK) Version 11.

  • Python Version: Python 3.7.9.

  • Web Server: Tomcat 9.0.

  • Developing IDE: pycharm professional 2020.1.1.

  • Database: MySQL 5.7.

  • Browser: Google Chrome browser recommended

3 Design of the Overall Structure of the Visualization Platform

3.1 Platform Objectives

This paper mainly designs a multi-perspective visualization platform for the prefabricated building PC components, which includes data query, update, maintenance, and fault warning. The specific objectives are: â‘  to intuitively understand the shape, size, and position of PC components; â‘¡ facilitate the addition, deletion, modification, and maintenance management of data; â‘¢ convenient for early warning and monitoring, fault diagnosis, and maintenance of PC components.

3.2 Overall Structure Design of the Platform

The platform of this paper is built on the Django framework and B/S architecture (Browser/Server mode), utilizing the Python language, the PyCharm compiler, and the MySQL database to design.

Django Framework

Django is an open-source web application framework based on the MTV pattern, written in Python language [9]. It adopts the framework mode of MTV, namely Model, View, and Template. Django with comprehensive functions provides various components for web application development. These components are open-source as well as inheritable, and can be modified for use, effectively improving the reusability of the code; Django's Model layer comes with a built-in database ORM component, providing an easy database interface for developers, and allowing them to directly define models as well as objects without relying on other database access technologies during the development process. In addition, it can realize basic addition, deletion, and modification operations while creating the data tables rapidly [10, 11].

Due to the open source and strong scalability characteristics of the Django framework, this paper utilizes Django as a web application framework for designing a prefabricated building PC component visualization platform.

Python Programming Language

Python is a high-level, interpretive programming language that supports object-oriented programming paradigms and can use object-oriented features such as categories, objects, and inheritance for programming. It has a rich and powerful standard library, providing a large number of modules and functions, which can facilitate the development of various tasks, such as the file operations, the network programming, the graphical interfaces, etc.

Due to the characteristics of Python language such as easy to learn, read as well as maintain, extensive standard libraries, portability, and scalability, and its ability to be combined with the Django framework, this paper utilizes Python language for program development.

PyCharm Integrated Development Environment

PyCharm is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) specifically designed for the development of the Python language. It is developed by JetBrains and provides rich functions and tools to facilitate developers in writing, debugging, and managing Python projects.

During the platform development process, Python is used as an object-oriented high-level programming language, and PyCharm is a Python IDE created by JetBrains. Therefore, this paper chooses PyCharm as the integrated development environment for the platform.

MySQL Database

MySQL is an open source Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) developed by MySQL AB in Sweden, acquired by Sun Microsystems in 2008, and later acquired by Oracle. MySQL is widely used in various web and enterprise applications due to its high performance, reliability, and scalability.

During the operation of the platform, the addition, deletion, modification, and querying of PC component data in prefabricated buildings is a very important part. Based on the open source and low cost characteristics of MySQL, MySQL is used as the database designed for the platform, and Navicat graphical management tool is used to manage MySQL.

Overall Platform Structure

The overall structure of the platform is mainly divided into three layers: the data layer, the business layer, and the interface layer. The data layer chiefly includes the system's access and processing of MySQL databases, as well as some operations such as the data cleaning, the data upload, and the data visualization. It can display real-time information related to prefabricated building PC components on the visualization platform. The business layer is divided into functional modules and Django structure. The functional modules mainly include the 3D visualization of the PC components, the data management, the alarm management, the information management, and the equipment maintenance. The interactivity is reflected in the charts, allowing users to have a more intuitive understanding of various information and operating status of PC components. The Django structure is designed from front-end to back-end based on its MTV model (i.e. Model + Template + View design pattern) during the platform design process. The interface layer largely refers to the pages and content presented after users log in and enter the platform, including those modules such as browser, HTML, and CSS. The overall structure of the platform is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1.
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Overall Structure of the Platform

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4 Visualisation Platform Function Design

4.1 3D Visualization

Introducing 3D visualization technology into the prefabricated buildings PC component visualization platform, its main functions include the visual display, the space analysis, the process management, and the fault diagnosis.

The visual display is the process of showing the model of the prefabricated building PC components in three-dimensional form, allowing users to intuitively understand the shape, size, and position of the components. Through visual analysis in three-dimensional space, problems can be identified and resolved in a timely manner to avoid errors in the actual construction process. The process management is to associate construction processes and progress with three-dimensional models of components, displaying construction progress and process completion in real-time. It helps engineering management personnel comprehensively grasp project progress, adjust construction plans timely, and ensure construction progress and quality. The fault diagnosis is to help users diagnose and analyze the faults of components. By observing the 3D model of the component, damage, wear, or other problems of the components can be detected, and the appropriate measures can be taken to repair or replace it in time. The functional module of 3D visualization is shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2.
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Structure of 3D visualization function

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4.2 Data Management

Data management is an extremely important function in the prefabricated building PC component visualization platform, mainly including the data storage and sharing, the data integration, the data analysis and mining, the data visualization, and the data security as well as permission management.

The data storage and sharing is aimed at avoiding duplicate data entry and transmission, improving data reliability and consistency. The data integration is the integration of data from different sources, to achieve integrated management and comprehensive analysis of data, and provide comprehensive data support for decision-making. The data analysis and mining is the process of discovering patterns and trends in a large amount of data through statistics, analysis, and modeling, extracting valuable information, helping to optimize the design and production process of components, and improving construction efficiency and quality. The data visualization is to display the data by the visual method in the form of charts, graphs, or animations,which is possible to better discover the relationships and rules of the data, thus making more accurate decisions. The data security and permission management is a function that provides data security and permission management, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of the data. By encrypting, backing up, and controlling permission on data, it can prevent data leakage and tampering, and protect data security of users. The data management function structure is shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3.
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Data Management Function Structure

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4.3 Alarm Management

The alarm management functions of the prefabricated building PC component visualization platform mainly include the early warning and monitoring, the fault diagnosis, and the safety management.

The early warning and monitoring refers to the real-time monitoring of component data, such as temperature, humidity, pressure, etc., for fault diagnosis and the early warning and monitoring. When the data exceeds the set threshold, the system will automatically issue an alarm to remind relevant personnel to take timely measures to avoid potential problems and safety risks. The fault diagnosis is the process of identifying potential faults and problems by analyzing component data. The safety management is achieved by monitoring the data of components, such as tilting and deformation. When abnormal situations occur, the system will automatically issue an alarm to remind relevant personnel to take safety measures to ensure the safety of construction personnel. The alarm management function structure is shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4.
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Alarm Management Function Structure

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4.4 Information Management

The information management functions of the prefabricated building PC component visualization platform mainly include the component information management, the construction schedule management, the quality control, and the maintenance and upkeep management.

By managing component information, it is convenient to query and trace the source and usage of components, improving the efficiency of construction and maintenance. Through the management of construction progress, problems during construction can be identified and solved in time, ensuring the smooth progress of construction. Through the management of quality data, quality problems can be promptly identified and resolved, thus optimizing the quality and reliability of components. By managing maintenance and upkeep information, maintenance and upkeep work can be carried out timely, thus extending the service life of components, and reducing maintenance costs. The information management functional structure is shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 5.
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Information Management Functional Structure

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4.5 Equipment Maintenance

The equipment maintenance functions of the prefabricated building PC component visualization platform include the preventive maintenance, the maintenance schedule, the maintenance record, and the equipment optimization.

The preventive maintenance is the process of predicting the lifespan and maintenance cycle of components by analyzing their data. The maintenance schedule and the maintenance records are formulated based on the usage and maintenance needs of the equipment. The equipment optimization is the process of analyzing the usage and maintenance records of equipment, understanding its operational status and lifespan, optimizing its use and configuration, extending its lifespan, and reducing maintenance costs. The functional structure of equipment maintenance is shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 6.
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Equipment Maintenance Functional Structure

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5 PC Component Visualization Platform

After completing the design of the prefabricated building PC component visualization platform, the platform is developed by using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc. The homepage page of the platform's web client is mainly used to welcome and guide users to view the functional classification of prefabricated building PC components after logging in. As shown in Fig. 7, after entering the homepage, users can click to enter the functional classification sub-page, user center sub-page, and query sub-page of prefabricated building PC components.

Fig. 7.
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The Prefabricated Buildings PC Components Visualization Platform Interface

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6 Summary

According to the requirements of the prefabricated building PC component visualization platform, the platform is designed by using a Web Browser as the client-side and adopting Pychar compiler, Python programming language, and MySQL database based on the Django framework and B/S architecture. Combining the relevant information of PC components with the current popular programming language Python and web application framework Django, the data information can better displayed intuitively in front of the public through data visualization and other technologies, thus reflecting the data information and operation status of PC components in real time, and ensuring the normal operation of PC components.