Building construction has developed from the use of primitive tools to that of machinery, with a tendency toward automation. Automation of processes and robotics can improve efficiency, accuracy and safety in construction. On the other hand, structural prefabrication for construction is increasingly being adopted worldwide to enhance productivity and to alleviate the environmental impact of conventional construction processes. The combination and application of automation and prefabrication technologies may therefore introduce new developments to the construction industry. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the use of automation technology for structural prefabrication and construction, including recent developments, challenges and future trends. Five stages following the sequence of construction are proposed: design, construction management, robotic manufacturing, autonomous transportation and automatic structural assembly. The paper concludes that the widespread use of automation technology is preferable to structural prefabrication for construction, and that the design for robotic construction introduced through connection innovations may be beneficial as a means of avoiding complex operations and thus improving the efficiency of robotic assembly processes.

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Optimization design and manufacturing play an important role in obtaining successful composite structures with high efficiency and safe use of materials. In this paper, we first present the optimization design procedure for a composite box girder by ANSYS parametric design language (APDL) in the ANSYS software. The input parameters used in the simulation work were determined via fundamental experimental tests of composite specimens. Then we manufactured the designed composite box girder by mold-pressing prepreg technology according to the optimization results. The finial composite girder structure composed of arch top, web and bottom composite plate was obtained. The optimization procedure indicated that the use of stiffening plates in a girder could decrease the weight and increase the failure load. The location and ply mode of the stiffening plates in girder were suggested. The three-point-bending test was performed on the girder, and the test indicated that load-carrying capacity in unit mass of the optimized girder was as high as 107.8 N/g. Simulation and experimental results match well, and the maximum and minimum stresses in each layer were within the strength limitation of carbon material after optimized in the procedure.