Adjustable Form Additive Manufacturing Monolithic Concrete
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods of building concrete structures require extensive labor and result in weak 3D printed walls due to the lack of a form to hold and consolidate the extruded mortar-based paste, leading to poor bonding strength and increased risk of damage or collapse.
Innovation Solution
The use of a dynamically adjustable form that allows for continuous casting and consolidation of cementitious materials alongside and above previously cast sections, eliminating the need for fixed formwork and enabling monolithic, joint-free structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional fixed formwork is used for casting concrete sections, then the structure can be built with established methods, but extensive manual labor is required and cold joints between sections reduce structural integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic formwork system that can move and adjust its configuration automatically during the casting process. The formwork transitions from static fixed positions to a mobile system that can reposition itself, enabling continuous casting without manual intervention for form resetting. This dynamic capability eliminates cold joints while reducing labor requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile formwork system enables continuous casting operations by eliminating the interruption required for manual form resetting between sections. The formwork remains in continuous use, moving from one casting location to the next without being removed or reassembled, thereby maintaining uninterrupted productive action and creating monolithic structures.
2Extent of automation
If 3D printing is used to build structures, then automated manufacturing is achieved, but the extruded paste lacks consolidation and has poor bonding strength between layers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a formwork system as an intermediary between the extrusion process and the final structure. This formwork provides the necessary confinement and consolidation pressure to the extruded paste, enabling proper layer bonding while maintaining automated operation. The formwork acts as a mediator that transforms the weak extruded paste into strong, consolidated concrete layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical parameters of the extruded material by applying consolidation pressure within the formwork. The paste transitions from a loose, poorly-bonded state to a dense, well-consolidated state with improved strength. This parameter change enables automated manufacturing to produce structures with traditional concrete quality.
3Ease of manufacture
If large structures are built by casting separate sections, then the structure can be constructed in manageable portions, but complex reinforcement schemes and additional labor are needed to join sections
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile formwork system enables continuous casting that creates monolithic large-scale structures without requiring division into separate sections. This eliminates the need for complex reinforcement schemes at joints and the labor-intensive process of assembling and reinforcing multiple sections, while still allowing construction of large structures.
4Reliability
If fixed formwork is used for each section, then the form provides structural support during curing, but the form must be manually removed and reset for each section
Solution Approach 1:
The formwork system transitions from static fixed positions to a mobile configuration that can automatically reposition itself. The dynamic formwork maintains structural support during curing at each location, then moves to the next casting position without manual removal or resetting, eliminating time loss while preserving the support function.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile formwork system performs multiple functions: it provides structural support during curing, acts as a containment mold during casting, and serves as a transport vehicle between casting locations. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate form resetting operations, saving time while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for additive manufacturing of objects by molding or casting materials using a dynamically configurable form. A head for dispensing material includes an adjustable form configurable to define a forming chamber into which the material is dispensed. A method for additive manufacturing includes moving the head to a plurality of positions corresponding to a plurality of dispense locations in a build volume, configuring the adjustable form to shape the forming chamber for each of the plurality of dispense locations; and casting a three-dimensional object. Casting the three-dimensional object comprises dispensing a portion of the material into the forming chamber at each of the plurality of dispense locations.