This article provides an overview of different particle-bed 3D printing techniques for the production of concrete elements. A classification is proposed which considers the direct production of ...concrete components, the production of formwork as well as composite components by means of a permanent formwork. Three techniques are considered as relevant for concrete construction, i.e. selective binder activation, selective paste intrusion and binder jetting. Design as well as material aspects are addressed. The underlying physics of fluid infiltration into the particle-bed and its effect on the properties of the hardened material are discussed on the basis of recent research results. Finally, the first applications of particle-bed 3D printing are presented which demonstrate the potential of this technique in concrete construction.
Concrete is the most used human-made material in the world, and it is responsible for around 8% of the total greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Hence, efficient concrete construction methods are one ...of the main foci of research in architecture, civil engineering, and material science. One recent development that promises to achieve this goal is the use of digital fabrication for building components. Most investigations focus on direct extrusion 3D printing with concrete, which has already been covered in several review articles. Conversely, this article reviews a different approach, which focuses on the indirect digital fabrication of concrete through 3D printed formworks. This approach is under investigation for structural and nonstructural, as well as for on- and off-site applications, with a number of projects having already been built, but a comprehensive review of 3D printed formworks has not yet been compiled to synthesize the findings. This article provides a comprehensive map of the state-of-the-art of five different 3D printing technologies used for the fabrication of formworks so far. The aim is to serve as a fundamental reference for future research, provide a basis for consistent language in this field, and support the development of construction standards. The article further discusses the new geometric possibilities with 3D printed formworks and their potential for making concrete construction more sustainable. In addition, the opportunities and challenges of 3D printed formworks are evaluated in the context of other traditional and digital fabrication tools. A synthetic classification in five functional typologies is proposed and illustrated with 30 representative case studies. Finally, the article concludes with a brief reflection on the role of 3D printing in the broader context of formwork innovation and a possible outlook for this technology.
Packing a designated set of shapes on a regular grid is an important class of operations research problems that has been intensively studied for more than six decades. Representing a d-dimensional ...discrete grid as Zd, we formalise the generalised regular grid (GRG) as a surjective function from Zd to a geometric tessellation in a physical space, for example, the cube coordinates of a hexagonal grid or a quasilattice. This study employs 0-1 integer linear programming (ILP) to formulate the polyomino tiling problem with adjacency constraints. Rotation & reflection invariance in adjacency are considered. We separate the formal ILP from the topology & geometry of various grids, such as Ammann-Beenker tiling, Penrose tiling and periodic hypercube. Based on cutting-edge solvers, we reveal an intuitive correspondence between the integer program (a pattern of algebraic rules) and the computer codes. Models of packing problems in the GRG have wide applications in production system, facility layout planning, and architectural design. Two applications in planning high-rise residential apartments are illustrated.
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Recent developments in computational design and digital fabrication with concrete enable the realization of freeform geometries that optimize material use. 3D Concrete extrusion Printing (3DCP) is ...presently one of the most utilized digital fabrication methods with concrete. The expected advantages of 3DCP result from shaping concrete without formwork and from placing material only where functionally required. Although these advantages were pointed out more than 20 years ago, it is difficult to find competitive examples and their usage in real buildings. Consequently, the nonspecific character of the process acts as a shortcoming by opening up extensive possibilities without a clear direction. This paper proposes an automated 3DCP prefabrication platform for customized columns. The process-specific parameters are, therefore, fine-tuned for high-quality products with diverse forms and textures. Additionally, this paper proposes an evaluation method for geometric complexity and identifies the types of column typologies that may benefit from a 3DCP prefabrication platform.
•A 3D concrete printing process is proposed for the prefabrication of bespoke columns.•This layered extrusion-based process uses a set on-demand material system.•The technology targets a concrete prefabrication plant.•The design methods focus on column typologies tailored for 3D concrete printing.•The 3D concrete printed columns are evaluated based on their geometric complexity.
Digital fabrication has been termed the “third industrial revolution” in recent years, and promises to revolutionize the construction industry with the potential of freeform architecture, less ...material waste, reduced construction costs, and increased worker safety. Digital fabrication techniques and cementitious materials have only intersected in a significant way within recent years. In this letter, we review the methods of digital fabrication with concrete, including 3D printing, under the encompassing term “digital concrete”, identifying major challenges for concrete technology within this field. We additionally provide an analysis of layered extrusion, the most popular digital fabrication technique in concrete technology, identifying the importance of hydration control in its implementation.
In an increasing effort to address the environmental challenges caused by the currently linear economic paradigm of "produce, use, and discard", the construction industry has been shifting towards a ...more circular model. A circular economy requires closing of the loops, where the end-of-life of a building is considered more carefully, and waste is used as a resource. In comparison to traditional building materials such as timber, steel and concrete, mycelium-based materials are renewable alternatives that use organic agricultural and industrial waste as a key ingredient for production, and do not rely on mass extraction or exploitation of valuable finite or non-finite resources. Mycelium-based materials have shown their potential as a more circular and economically competitive alternative to conventional synthetic materials in numerous industries ranging from packaging, electronic prototyping, furniture, fashion to architecture. However, application of mycelium-based materials in the construction industry has been limited to small-scale prototypes and architectural installations due to low mechanical properties, lack of standardisation in production methods and material characterisation. This paper aims to review the current state of the art in research and applications of mycelium-based materials across disciplines, with a particular focus on digital methods of fabrication, production, and design. The information gathered from this review will be synthesised to identify key challenges in scaling up applications of mycelium-based materials as load-bearing structural elements in architecture and suggest opportunities and directions for future research.
Additive Construction Dillenburger, Benjamin
3D printing and additive manufacturing,
2022-Jun-01, 2022-06-01, 20220601, Volume:
9, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Additive Construction Dillenburger, Benjamin
3D printing and additive manufacturing,
2022-Apr-01, 2022-04-01, 20220401, Volume:
9, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Additive Construction Dillenburger, Benjamin
3D printing and additive manufacturing,
2022-Feb-01, 2022-02-01, 20220201, Volume:
9, Issue:
1
Journal Article
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