Crane-lift path planning for high-rise modular integrated construction through metaheuristic optimization and virtual prototyping

Abstract

Heavy crane lifting in high-rise modular integrated construction (MiC) is critical but challenging. The current crane-lift executions are heavily reliant on human judgment. Few studies on crane-lift path planning considered modular-specific characteristics such as installation of hefty modules. Therefore, this study aims to develop an automatic crane-lift path planning system to achieve safe and efficient module installation in high-rise MiC. The system involves an innovative metaheuristic algorithm for path optimization and a virtual prototyping-based platform for crane-lift simulation, and was validated using a real-life MiC project. The results reveal that the proposed algorithm that combines particle swarm optimization and simulated annealing is efficient in deriving a collision-free path, and outperforms other metaheuristics. The platform was demonstrated to be effective and informative in simulating various crane lifts. This study should facilitate safe and efficient delivery of high-rise modular buildings by contributing an intelligent algorithm and a virtual simulation platform.