A Knowledge-Based System for Construction-Site Organization

Abstract: This paper presents an example of a knowledge-based system application in the domain of building design, specifically for construction-site management. This type of system is a reasonable approach for providing a design aid to engineers. The object-oriented representation that is the base of the prototype GRAM_V2 was developed by the authors from an analysis of the specific needs for a building computer-aided design (CAD) system. This hybrid language integrates several functionalities such as multiple representation, delegation, and a set of graphic classes. The system architecture promotes adaptability, ease of use, and evolution of the system over time. GRAM_V2 utilizes AUTOCAD as a graphic interface and an object-oriented language developed in LISP. This paper emphasizes the formalism and explains the utility of the different functionalities of GRAM_V2 through this specific application.     

A knowledge-based system for liquid retaining structure design with blackboard architecture

Owing to the high degree of vulnerability of liquid retaining structures to corrosion problems, there are stringent requirements in its design against cracking. In this paper, a prototype knowledge-based system is developed and implemented for the design of liquid retaining structures based on the blackboard architecture. A commercially available expert system shell VISUAL RULE STUDIO working as an ActiveX Designer under the VISUAL BASIC programming environment is employed. Hybrid knowledge representation approach with production rules and procedural methods under object-oriented programming are used to represent the engineering heuristics and design knowledge of this domain. It is demonstrated that the blackboard architecture is capable of integrating different knowledge together in an effective manner. The system is tailored to give advice to users regarding preliminary design, loading specification and optimized configuration selection of this type of structure. An example of application is given to illustrate the capabilities of the prototype system in transferring knowledge on liquid retaining structure to novice engineers.     

A Knowledge-Based Design Tool to Assist in Preliminary Seismic Design

Abstract: Many structural engineers only rarely need to be concerned with seismic design. It is a relatively difficult process that can involve advanced analytical techniques and concepts such as ductility which are not normally encountered except in this context. A prototype Seismic Design Assistant (SDA) has been developed specifically to assist, advise, and guide design engineers engaged in the preliminary seismic design of reinforced concrete buildings (with coupled shear walls). Available seismic design methods are reviewed, and a particular method is outlined that incorporates sophisticated analytical procedures to enable ductility requirements to be satisfied. This method provides the basis of the knowledge base employed within the SDA. The prototype design tool has been implemented on a Sun workstation using Quintec-Prolog, Quintec-Flex, and Fortran 77. Details are presented of the architecture of the SDA, of the knowledge representation that has been employed, and of the integration of traditional procedural software within a knowledge-based approach.     

FPSWizard: A web-based CBR-RBR system for supporting the design of active fall protection systems

Fall from height is a perennial problem in the construction industry. Active fall protection system (AFPS) is frequently a must in situations where working conditions are difficult and other controls are not feasible or inadequate. However, the design and selection of AFPS are still problematic in the construction industry. This paper aims to develop an online knowledge-based system, FPSWizard, to support the design and selection of AFPS. The hybrid system adopts a combination of case-based reasoning (CBR) and rule-based reasoning (RBR) to improve retrieval performance. FPSWizard is meant to recommend suitable AFPS based on similar past design cases. Potential end users, such as professional engineers and safety professionals, can use the system as a decision support system when they are selecting and designing a solution to the work-at-height problem at hand. A total of fifty stored cases were created based on actual work scenarios and AFPS designs in the construction industry. A case structure was also created using the AFPS-Ontology. The system was assessed using a leave-one-out cross validation approach, where fifty cases in the case base were used to test the retrieval performance of the system. The hybrid CBR-RBR approach had an average positive predictive value (PPV) (or precision) of 90%. In comparison, a pure CBR approach had an average PPV of 76%. FPSWizard forms an important part of an intelligent system which provides comprehensive solutions to fall from height. This paper also made important strides towards intelligent safety engineering and management in the construction industry.     

Using engineering drawing interpretation for automatic detection of version information in CADD engineering drawing

Engineering drawings produced by computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) software are widely employed in the construction industry, as well as many other manufacturing sectors. It is very common for a drawing plan to undergo many revisions, thus, many different versions of the drawing are generated before the final product is achieved. Thus, a drawing management system needs to maintain the history of different versions of drawings, and version control becomes a key function for any drawing management system. In this paper, a knowledge-based version information extraction method is presented. The method analyzes the layout of the drawing frame and extracts the version information with the help of predefined key words. Then a comparison method between two versions of drawing is introduced. The comparison method highlights the differences between two versions of the drawings, so that engineers can locate and find the changes quickly.     

Development and performance of an expert system for pavement overlay design

This paper describes recent experience with the development and performance of OVERDRIVE 1.2. a central component of PARADIGM (the Pavement Rehabilitation Analysis and Design Mentor). PARADIGM is a microcomputer-based tool to integrate a set of knowledge-based expert systems (KBES) and algorithmic models for pavement rehabilitation decision-making, particularly at the local level. Because the analysis and design of pavement rehabilitation strategies relies so heavily on experts, and many of the tasks involved are both complex and ill-defined, conventional computer tools are of limited use in this domain. A basic premise of this research is that KBES can play a significant role in addressing these problems. OVERDRIVE is the Overlay Design Heuristic Adviser, and is a research prototype KBES to assist local engineers evaluate the structural adequacy of existing flexible pavement and design the structural thickness of an asphalt concrete overlay. In this paper the general domain, the domain tasks addressed by the current version of OVERDRIVE, knowledge acquisition, knowledge representation and inference, and hardware and software are described. A case-study application is presented using actual data. This application permits an initial assessment to be made of the comparative performance of OVERDRIVE versus alternative overlay design methods.     

Graffiti: A Computer-Aided Construction Process Knowledge-Based System

Abstract: This paper presents a computer-aided construction process program based on a heuristic research knowledge-based system, logical procedures for constraints propagation, as well as on operational research algorithms. The system is interactive: it is the user, not the program, who controls the heuristic research. Furthermore, it is graphics oriented: a reflexive architecture between the knowledge-based system and a geometrical modeller allows permanent graphic visualization of the work in progress. The application presented includes a variety of operations, ranging from the geometric modelling of the architectural project to the intelligent analysis of its structure, its division into component types (e.g. shuttering posts, beams, floors, walls) and the planning of the construction process (production cycles, tasks scheduling).
Tested by engineers of a private international building company, the system has now received new implementations, which allow us to simulate different technologies and modify very rapidly many various parameters, thus giving to the users a real computer-aided construction process environment.     

知识经济时代的建筑节能

介绍了建筑节能观念的演变、建筑节能工程的特点、建筑节能服务的社会属性和商品属性。通过对建筑的自然属性和人文属性的剖析，论述了知识经济时代建筑节能和可持续发展的关系。分析了上海市建筑节能市场的特征，提出了以建筑节能市场化为核心，以环境、能源可持续发展政策为导向，以建筑师和设备工程师协同设计为基础的建筑知识节能的观念。     

NoDes: kNOwledge-based modeling for detailed DESign process — from analysis to implementation

This paper reviews the nature of detailed design process and discusses the implementation of a knowledge-based system (KBS) founded on a protocol analysis study. The main objective is to discuss the features of a knowledge-based modeling approach, kNOwledge-based modeling for detailed DESign process (NoDes). This approach was first used for the development of the wind, which is an interactive KBS for the synthesis of window parts. We take the wind as an exemplary prototype implementation to demonstrate the abilities and performance of our knowledge-based modeling approach. Besides knowledge analysis and simulation of task execution, this paper also argues the efficiency of the object-oriented programming approach in the system implementation.     

A Knowledge-Based System for Synthesis and Design of Transmission Towers Using Blackboard Architecture

Abstract: This paper describes the development of KASTLE—a knowledge-based system for synthesis and design of steel lattice self-supporting transmission towers. Using inputs such as type of tower, geographical location, the voltage the conductor has to carry and the number of circuits the tower has to support, an experienced designer arrives at an overall configuration of tower. An expert designer basically relies on heuristics to choose parameters, such as base width, tophamper width, type of bracings and sub-bracing pattern, for the tower configuration. The final cost of the tower is sensitive to these initial decisions. Geometric modelling of the configuration is prerequisite for tower analysis. This paper reports an attempt to integrate different types of knowledge-based systems using blackboard architecture. The knowledge system for configuration generation uses theorem proving, whereas in other knowledge-based systems, such as modelling and design heuristics, knowledge has been represented using IF-THEN rules. A sample synthesis and design of a 220 kV and 400 kV tangent tower is included. The system has been implemented on an IBM PC AT with MS-DOS. Prolog, Fortran, and C languages were used.     

新型举国体制下卓越工程师自主培育的发展成效、关键挑战与协同治理

加强卓越工程师自主培育在响应国家重大战略需求、赋能原始工程科技创新、建设工程教育强国等领域中发挥着至关重要的作用。在简述卓越工程师自主培育的战略意义基础上,从政策设计、改革实践、工程教育研究和质量保障论述卓越工程师自主培育的历史成效。进一步从产教融合、人才培养、教师评价和协同治理等角度指出卓越工程师培育面临的关键问题与挑战。最后,在协同育人治理共同体统筹下,从学生工程实践、工科教师激励、质量评价设计、注册工程师等方面指出新型举国体制下未来推进卓越工程师自主培育的革新路径。     

Automated design of prefabricated building

The paper describes a knowledge-based system for the detailed design of prefabricated building. The system employs a comprehensive approach which integrates different design aspects, architectural, structural and technological. The system receives, as an input, a preliminary architectural design of the building to be erected, adjusts it to a modular grid, indicates the location of structured supports, breaks down the floors and walls into elements to be prefabricated and finally produces detailed drawings of the elements and their cost estimate. The premise of the system, its operation and the structure of its knowledge are described.     

A Knowledge-Based Expert System for Innovative Transportation Financing Techniques

Abstract: This paper discusses the development of a medium-sized knowledge-based expert system for selection of appropriate innovative financing technique(s) for transportation projects by several state and local governments. The steps involved in the development of the expert system, namely, problem identification, conceptualization, knowledge acquisition, knowledge representation, implementation, and testing and evaluation, are discussed. The process of organizing the available knowledge of innovative financing techniques, as well as the process leading to the selection of one or more of them for a particular project, is encoded in the knowledge base of the expert system developed for the purpose. The working system was tested and validated by comparing the output of the system against the recommendations made by transportation professionals in counties and cities in various states. The tests indicate favorable results for the system. The operational system can be used as a decision support system as well as a teaching tool for transportation engineers, planners, private developers, and government officials.     

Knowledge and reasoning in design systems

This paper deals with problem-oriented visual languages used for solving design tasks during the conceptual design phase. Visualization of early design solutions by means of visual languages requires an appropriate design knowledge representation in computer systems. The continuation of our method to develop a knowledge-based decision support design system is presented. It consists in connecting a graph-based knowledge representation with a design reasoning method which uses first-order logic formulas. The design diagrams being elements of a visual language are automatically transformed into hierarchical hypergraphs and then information stored in these hypergraph data structures is translated to formulas of the first-order logic forming design knowledge. Modifications of design diagrams cause changes in logic formulas, which can be traced by the designer. The approach is illustrated by examples of designing floor layouts and navigating robots in them.     

点支式玻璃幕墙柔性支承体系设计的若干问题

点支式玻璃建筑柔性支承是一种出现不久的支承体系 ,积累的设计经验不多 ,给工程的设计带来了一定的困难。根据作者在这方面的设计经验 ,结合几个实际的工程 ,详细阐述了在设计支承体系时所要注意的问题。提出了几个在设计中碰到的但是尚未完全解决的问题来与大家探讨。     

基于BIM的管道支吊架辅助布置系统

基于BIM开发研究了管道系统支吊架的辅助布置系统,系统以通用BIM软件REVIT为平台,通过二次开发,创建了各类支吊架模型库,在管道设计图模型上直接添加支吊架模型,将管道支吊架安全复核与三维实体布置结合,精准确定支吊架位置并直观显现,提高了施工的精细度。同时提供了物料统计功能,为设计方案的比选和优化提供了便利。     

绿色与建筑

文章整理了目前国内外重要的绿色建筑评估标准体系的体系特点,并对其共同性和发展需要解决的问题提出了一些看法。同时,针对目前中国绿色建筑研究和决策以工程师和科学家为主体的现状,提出了自己的观点：建筑师与工程师和科学家应该密切配合,全程合作,才能创造绿色建筑精品。为了保证绿色建筑设计的进展,借鉴欧洲建筑师的设计方法,本文提出了绿色建筑的整合设计方法,该方法具有工程师和科学家全程介入建筑设计以及设计阶段的成果递进性特点。     

Intelligent Tools for Wastewater Treatment Design

Wastewater treatment design involves identifying the sequence of environmentally acceptable technologies that need to be applied based on the influent concentrations of several contaminants in the wastewater. This paper proposes a set of tools including a learning system to extract knowledge-based rules for treatment technologies, an optimization algorithm to obtain treatment trains, and a case-based retrieval system to identify applicable environmental regulations.     

CONCEPTUAL: An Expert System for Conceptual Structural Design

In the conceptual design stage of a building the number of possible building configurations is enormous. The building systems selected in this stage affect the building cost much more than any other decision made in the subsequent design stages. Currently designers base their decisions mostly on experience and intuition. Since this process is not algorithmic, the best possible design is not guaranteed. In this article a model of the process by which a human expert arrives at a conceptual design for a building is presented. Based on this model, CONCEPTUAL, an automated knowledge-based expert system has been developed by the authors to aid in the conceptual design stage of buildings.     

体系化钢结构住宅开发模式的初步研究

提出建造钢结构住宅可采用的3种模式,合理化设计建造、专用体系和通用体系,可供工程技术设计人员研究和参考。