Agent-Based Modeling to Optimize Workflow of Robotic Steel and Concrete 3D Printers (2019-12)¶

At a time when construction projects are increasing in complexity and costs are constantly rising, 3D concrete printing have emerged as a revolutionary technology in construction. However, reinforcing 3D printed concrete elements has posed technical issues in research and practice. This paper introduces a methodology for 3D printing nonstandard steel rebar shapes together with 3D concrete printing. The new process can revolutionize the construction industry's approach to reinforced concrete design, as it provides a high degree of flexibility in both concrete and steel free-form creation, which is a key difference from traditional methods that only utilize standard steel reinforcement shapes. In addition, the proposed method will provide an even higher degree of automation in the concrete 3D printing construction process. An agent based model using Any Logic© was developed to simulate and optimize the printing of retaining and shear walls for a floor in a reinforced concrete building. Results show the optimization ratios of steel printing heads to concrete printing heads using the current technology and promise significant reductions in time and cost while providing a cleaner, safer, more automated, and an unbounded construction process. Findings from this research call for an in-depth investigation of the capabilities of steel 3D printing and its utilization in construction. It also highlights the importance of considering the application of new construction tools that would cope with the rapid growth of computational capabilities, and their adoption in design practices.