Illustrated Guide to the Construction Process of Prefabricated Panel Houses

The construction process of prefabricated panel houses can be divided into five stages: production, construction preparation, installation, structural reinforcement, and subsequent construction. The specific steps and process details are as follows:

I. Production Stage of Prefabricated Panels

1. Model Making: Create hollow or solid models according to design requirements. Hollow panels require wooden planks to form hollow areas (e.g., span of 4.2 meters, width of 500/600mm, thickness of 120/150mm), while solid panels do not require this step.
2. Reinforcement Layout: For hollow panels, distribute and main reinforcement bars (e.g., steel strands) are placed in the hollow part of the model. Solid panels directly lay a reinforcement mesh to ensure structural strength.
3. Concrete Pouring: Pour the prepared concrete into the model. Hollow panels need to reserve hollow areas to reduce weight.
4. Curing and Demolding: After the concrete solidifies, knock off the wooden planks. Some processes may spray a release agent to prevent adhesion, forming the prefabricated panel.
5. Quality Inspection: Check the panel joint width (acceptable range: 30-50mm, 50-110mm for joints requiring reinforcement) and load-bearing capacity (e.g., live load of 1kN/m² for Class I panels) to ensure compliance with standards.

II. Construction Site Preparation

1. Foundation Construction: Complete foundation pouring and ring beam installation. The ring beam is a key structure for enhancing earthquake resistance, and its absence can lead to poor house stability.
2. Wall Masonry: Construct brick walls according to design requirements, ensuring full mortar joints and wall perpendicularity. Poor construction may lead to safety hazards.
3. Support Structure Installation: Set up resting points for prefabricated panels on top of the walls, ensuring levelness to avoid the risk of panel slippage due to the absence of a ring beam.

III. Prefabricated Panel Installation Stage

1. Transportation and Hoisting: Transport the prefabricated panels to the site and hoist them to the designated positions on top of the walls using lifting equipment.
2. Jointing and Fixing: Adjust the panel joint width and fill the joints with cement mortar (joints ≥50mm require reinforcement). For end reinforcement, install end caps or horizontal restraints at the ends of the prefabricated panels.
3. Temporary Support: Use wooden planks or steel pipes for temporary fixation during installation to prevent overturning.

IV. Structural Reinforcement and Acceptance

1. Ring Beam and Structural Column Reinforcement: If missing in the original design, add reinforced concrete ring beams and structural columns later to enhance earthquake resistance.
2. Integrity Inspection: Ensure that the prefabricated panels are firmly connected to the walls without light-passing gaps to avoid structural issues caused by assembly gaps.
3. Load Testing: Conduct live load tests according to design requirements (e.g., Class II panels need to withstand 2kN/m²) to verify load-bearing capacity.

V. Subsequent Construction (Optional)

1. Cast-in-Place Layer Overlay: Overlay a cast-in-place concrete floor on top of the first-floor prefabricated panels to enhance integrity, requiring formwork support and reinforcement bar binding.
2. Waterproofing and Decoration: Complete roof waterproofing layer construction and interior decoration to ensure the house's functionality.

Key Precautions: Prefabricated panel houses must strictly include ring beams and structural columns to enhance earthquake resistance. Avoid omitting key structures during construction (e.g., no ring beam, crooked masonry). Hollow prefabricated panels are no longer recommended; cast-in-place structures offer better integrity. Actual construction must be carried out according to specific design drawings and regulatory requirements.