BACKGROUND
The affordable housing shortage is a challenge for US large and small communities alike. Construction costs remain high due to inefficiencies in materials, shortage of labor, and deadline demands that threaten profit margins and company solvency. Once solution is enduring structures like Thomas Edison&aposs concrete house that reduce the need for rebuilding and shrink environmental impact. Conventional methods for vertical concrete construction using forms frequently deal with problems like material separation, varying quality, and extended timeframes, which in turn lead to increased costs and project delays. Concrete form construction methods are also plagued with the potential for holes/gaps which only become apparent after curing; even worse, large, concealed voids behind a veneer of concrete. These often lead to costly teardowns and re-pours, impacting efficiency and budget. Available 3D vertical concrete printing methods are mortar-based lending themselves to structures that lack the strength and durability of reinforced concrete. Today the need for affordable housing is crucial without sacrificing safety and quality. Reinforced 3D concrete printing is a solution allowing for accurate material placement, minimal, reduced skilled labor, while providing and safe and sturdy home during weather extremes.
SUMMARY OF TECHNOLOGY
Developments by OSU researchers tackle the challenges of building reinforced vertical structures without formwork. See our video on an early working protype. Work continues to improve print quality and efficiency by controlling water/cement ratio, fine sand content, nano clay particles and mixing/laying procedures thus optimizing concrete mix. Both the innovative concrete mixture and the 3D concrete printing system address the need for optimizing materials and processes in construction to meet affordable housing needs. Tests reveal that an improved water/cement ratio (preferably 0.45 or higher) and increased fine sand content (minimum of 32%) significantly improves printing outcomes. Utilizing nano clay particles with citric acid improves material bonding during the printing process. Researchers also created ranking metrics to categorize print quality, resulting in a systematic approach to assessing performance. This concrete mixture drives a significant leap forward in 3D concrete printing construction, making it an essential tool for future affordable building practices.
This concrete mixture also complements the 3D printing system for vertical structures (2021-043), which relies on a cohesive mixture to print and consolidate concrete around pre-placed reinforcement, delivering a streamlined process for creating durable vertical structures without the need for formwork.
POTENTIAL AREAS OF APPLICATION
- Affordable Residential Construction: Rapid construction of extreme weather sturdy homes
- Cost Effective Infrastructure Development: bridges, barriers, and retaining walls
- Art and Architecture: Intricate designs that elevate public spaces beyond traditional methods
- Disaster Relief Housing: Quickly deploying housing solutions in response to natural disasters or emergencies.
MAIN ADVANTAGES
- Use of Large Aggregates: significant cost saving without compromising structural reliability
- Improved Print Quality for Reinforced 3D Concrete Technology: reduced voids with superior surface finish.
- Cost Efficiency: reduced skilled labor and material waste
- Enhanced Durability
- Minimized Cracking
- Customization: supports complex, tailored designs, enhancing architectural creativity
- Sustainability: reduced waste, preserves resources, prevent deforestation