Anvendelsesområder for 3D-printing av betongkonstruksjoner
Abstract
The intention of this master thesis is to investigate the application area for 3D printing of concrete inthe construction industry and was written during the spring of 2022 at the University of Agder. 3Dprinting or "additive manufacturing" is a process that combines materials in liquid- or powder-form,where a printer produces the digital 3D model. Productivity in today's construction industry does notsatisfy society's growing need for rapid completion of today's new buildings, and projects exceedingin time and cost is not uncommon. Through this work, the authors will investigate challenges andpossibilities of various projects such as large-scale 3D printed concrete constructions on-site, as wellas 3D printing of pre-produced concrete elements on-site or in the vicinity of the construction sites.The study will explore the methods for 3D-printing of concrete, associated design possibilities andthe technology's economic and environmental aspects. The report is mainly based on a literaturestudy, but qualitative interviews were also conducted for better insight into how 3D printing ofconcrete is used in the current construction industry and what the future potential is. The resultsindicated that 3D printing of concrete can streamline the construction industry through automationof manual work processes and reduce total construction time and labor compared to conventionalconstruction methods. 3D printing of concrete strengthens the interaction with theBuildingInformationModeling (BIM) platform. It also turns out that printing large-scale concretestructures will reduce cold bridges. The area of application will depend on the type of construction,project characteristics, geographical location and the weather and climate environment. The use of3D printing in the construction industry will provide greater freedom in the design and building ofmore geometrically complex constructions, as the printer is unaffected by the level of complexity ofthe design. The use of topology-optimized constructions will also create opportunities for slimmerand lighter constructions, as well as new economic and environmental savings compared toconventional construction methods. The technology also places different demands on concretetechnology than that of conventional casting of concrete, and today's 3D printers mainly printsmaller constructions up to a maximum of three floors. On the same note, this will also createsubstantial challenges regarding the design phase, standardization and implementation.