Automated Manufacturing of Reinforced Modules of Segmented Shells Based on 3D Printing with Strain-Hardening Cementitious Composites (2024-07)¶

To mitigate the negative environmental impact of cement production, it is crucial to adopt a more rational approach to its utilization. One approach is the fabrication of thin-walled concrete shells, which can cover large spans while minimalizing material consumption. The implementation of the modular approach in shell structures can overcome the limitations of the conventional formwork-based method. Until now, however, there was no approach available for fast and efficient automated production of reinforced concrete shell modules. This paper presents a fully automated method for creating such modules. It utilizes 3D printing with Strain-Hardening Cementitious Composite to fabricate the module contours. As a result, modules were manufactured in accordance with the proposed approach and were assembled into a shell structure. Finally, the developed module production method was analyzed to estimate the time required to produce a single module in the case of continuous flow production.