3d printer prop

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Marieh Shirazi

ENCS 282 2013/4 EE

Assignment 5 Research Proposal

Instructor: Ken Grimes; Tutor: Stella Carolina Stella

Title: 3D printer in building construction

Date: Friday April 11, 2014

Abstract: Using 3D printer in construction field with Quick Setting cement

3D printer is being widely adopted nowadays. We will be discussing about using this

machine to build a single room 6x6 ft2using special concrete; the Quick setting concrete(Magnesium Phosphate Cement). By working with Contour Crafting (3D printer), many other

engineers around the world have built a small-scale room but by using weak materials such asplastic, ceramic. Unfortunately, my team and I discovered the impossibility of using steel andconcrete together is the most common method in the conventional construction. Therefore, wesuggest using the Quick setting concrete rather than other materials because it reduces dryingshrinkage cracking and improves impact and cracking resistance of concrete. The 4 hoursstrength is more than 7 days strength of Portland cement concrete (PPC) and the 7 & 28 daysstrengths are more than 28 days strengths of PCC under normal curing conditions. Thus, theirapplicability for using it in building seems promising. By the help of the Contour Craftingmachine, the future generation would be assured to get a shelter in short time; within thistechnology, we can build houses in less than 24 hours and could be ready to live. However, theresearch is still going on, in applying this technology to build infrastructure, which can carry the

dynamic loads of the earthquake, wind and snow.


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Letter of transmittal

Maria ShiraziStudent in civil engineering in Concordia University

860 Gray Circle StreetH4M 2C4

11/04/2014

NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards Program350 Albert StreetOttawa, ON

K1A 1H5

Dear Sirs, Madams,

I am writing this report to ask you for a grant for my project. As a civil engineer, my team iscomposed of my advisorBehrokh Khoshnevis,professor in the USC Viterbi School ofEngineering. We are planning to use Quick Setting concrete in housing construction by using a3D printer, the Contour Crafting machine, because of the impossibility of using concretematerials and steel together in building. In fact, we found that using steel requires a laser to cutthe specific rebars, which can be complicated when using a 3D printer. In light of this, we intend

to fabricate the concrete material, namely, build a small model that would be a room sized 6x6ft2. After that, we are going to test this model room to ensure that it meets the requiredconstruction and infrastructure standards. Our aim is to provide citizens homes that can be builtfaster, cheaper and hopefully safer than the conventional way by operating the Contour-craftingdevice. We ask for your generosity in granting us 25,000$.

Maria ShiraziFuture Civil Eng.Cellphone number: [email protected]


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Table of contents:

1. Cover letter....page 1

2. Letter of transmittal...page 2

3. Table of contents...page 3

4. Body of proposal...page 4

I. Project definition...page 4-5

II. Methodology and materials...page 5-6

III. Conclusion and results..page 7

5. Schedule of work...page 7-8

6. Budgetpage 8

7. Qualification with mini CV...........page 9

8. Press release..page 10

9. References.page 11

10.List of illustration..page 12


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1. Project definition:1.1Literature review:

Hedwig Heinsman, an architect from Amsterdam, Nertherland launched the first Canal houseprinter in March 2014. Her aim is to discover and share the use of 3D printer in construction,

creating new and recycled materials. Her machine is about 6-meter tall printer called theKamermaker, or "room-builder." It takes the Kamermaker about a week to print each massive,unique structured block, layer by layer. In meanwhile, Dr.Behrokh Khoshnevis develops muchbetter technology called Contour Crafting, which can build houses, towers, and bridges in anylarge scale by using weak materials such as plastic or ceramic which are very easy to break. Soin this proposal, my advisor Dr. Khoshnevis and I will build a room 6x6 ft2 using real materialsconforming the standard codes in building then test and approve our machine.

1.2Importance of choosing materials in construction and infrastructure:

In building, engineers need two main materials; concrete and steel.

1.2.1 With concrete:Concrete is an artificial stone made essentially of Portland cement, aggregates and water

allowing the mixture to harden by hydration (a chemical reaction between cement and water).

The name of Portland cement comes from the similarity of stones extracted from the island of

Portland. This chemical component is widely used almost everywhere; it can be used on a small

scale, such as a concrete ring, Frisbees into much bigger scale: in building houses, bridgesetc.

it is able to resist moisture and varying weather conditions, mechanical wear and tear, and high

temperatures. Concrete also absorbs sound, reduces temperature swings and provides protection

against different types of radiation and rising sea levels.

1.2.2 With steel:Steel is a general term for iron containing small amounts of carbon, manganese and other

elements. Also known as reinforcing bar, reinforcing steel, or deformed bar. It is used as a

tensioning device in reinforced concrete structure holding it in compression.

Concrete is strongest when it is compressed. Steel is strong when it is stretched, or in tension. In

this way, builders combine the two strongest qualities of the two materials.

1.3Some issues related to the use of steel reinforcement in 3D printer CC:


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In fact, the 3D printer has some limitations of materials; it only works in liquid or powder form.

Therefore, using steel can make it much more complicated. In fact, the machine only has one

pouring handle at one time. In order to defeat this obstacle, we as a team are going to use the

concrete, MPC (Magnesium Phosphate Cement).

1.4Perfect solution is by using the rapid cement:

Rapid Set cement is a type of cement that is used for special purposes when a faster rate of early

high strength is required. It is known also as Magnesium Phosphate Cement. -

Advantages of using Rapid quick set cement:

It sets within 45min. It obtains structural strength (3000 PSI) in 1.5 hours or less.

It achieves flexural strength (550 PSI) in 2 hours or less.

Rapid Set has a better Compressive Strength than regular Portland cement.

2. Methodology and materials:My team and I have the Contour Crafting printer with the help of the McGill civil engineering

department, we only need to make the Magnesium Phosphate Cement. By then, we have to test

the strength and other safety issues of the resulting material. After that, we can pour the concrete

in our 3D machine and test it again. The resulted concrete will undergo many tests, for example,

the slump test and compression test.

The Compressive test (on the left side) is measured by breaking cylindrical

concrete specimens in a compression-testing machine. The compressive

strength (stress in advanced physics) is calculated from the failure load

divided by the cross-sectional area resisting the load and reported megaPascal (MPa) in SI units. Concrete compressive strength requirements can

vary from 2500 psi (17 MPa) for residential concrete to 28 MPa and higher

in commercial structures.


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The slump test (on the right side) performed to check the uniformity of freshly made concrete. It

is done to make sure a concrete mix is workable. The measured slump must be within a set

range, or tolerance, from the target slump. The single most important indicator of strength is the

ratio of the water used compared to the amount of cement (w/c ratio). In fact, the lower this ratio

is, the higher the final concrete strength will be.

The procedure of making the MPC inlaboratory:

A. Arranging Ice in order to prepare theMPC mortar mix.

B. Dissolving appropriate quantities ofpowdered phosphates and retarder incold water in a bowl.

C. Keeping the bowl containing phosphate solution in ice bath to maintain the temperatureof phosphate solution 12-15C.

D. Adding DBM sand mixture into cold phosphate solution.E. Mixing all the ingredients for one minute.F. Cleaning first the pot holes or cracks which are to be repaired to remove any foreign and

loose material.G. Immediately applying the MPC mortar after preparation on the cleaned surface of the

pothole or the crack and keeping the repaired portion under air curing (below 35C) for4-5 hours, and after that, allowing for traffic movement over it. For achieving still betterbond with old concrete, we should mix all the ingredients except sand and this paste isapplied as primer before the application of MPC mortar.

Materials needed for the whole project:

Dead Burnt Magnetite (DBM).

Mono-ammonium Phosphate (NH4H2PO4).

Sodium Tri-poly Phosphate (Na5P3OI0).

Di-Sodium-Tetra borate (Borax) (Na2B4O7.10H2O).

Fine Aggregates.

Water.

Standard slump cone (100 mm top diameter x 200 mm bottom diameter x 300 mm high). Small scoop.

Bullet-nosed rod (600 mm x 16 mm).

Steel float.

Steel plate.


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3. Conclusion and expected results:

The 4 hours strength is more than 7 days strength of Portland cement concrete (PPC) and the 7 &28 days strengths are more than 28 days strengths of PCC under normal curing conditions. Thus,their applicability for road repair and other concrete repair works seems promising.

Schedule of work:

Project duration Steps to achieve

Week 1 Finding a good location to build on.

Studying the nature of the field chosen.

Buy the materials required written above.

Week 2

Getting a government building permission. Set the Contour Crafting in place of the

construction.

Prepare the Quick Setting cement.

Week 3 Pouring the resulted cement, aggregates and

water into the 3D printer.

Testing the 3D printers software before

starting.

Installing the chosen slab.

Week 4 Pouring the concrete (mixture of cement,

aggregates and water) on the field using the

CC.

Week 5 Waiting the concrete to harden and to dry.

Week 6 Waiting again the concrete to harden.

Week 7 Waiting again the concrete to harden.

Week 8 Testing the concrete with the slump test.

Comparing the results with the standard

codes.


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Week 9 Testing the concrete with the compressive

test.

Comparing the results with the standard

codes.

Week 10 Writing the whole report in details and

submitting it to the government.

Budgets:

Dead Burnt Magnetite $2000

Fine Aggregates $5000

Standard slump cone $500

Mono-ammonium Phosphate $2500

Sodium Tri-poly Phosphate $2000

Di-Sodium-Tetra borate (Borax) $3000

Steel float and plate $1000

Compressive strength testing machine $5000

Labors $4000

Total $25,000


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Qualifications:

o Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis:

He is a professor of Industrial, Systems Engineering and Civil & Environmental Engineering. He

is also the Director of the Center of Rapid Automated Fabrication Technologies (CRAFT)andthe Director ofManufacturing Engineering Graduate Program at USC. He studies the robotics,

mechatronics, Rapid Prototyping, processes (Contour Crafting) and automated construction of

civil structures. His major interest in research is in rapid prototyping.

Lists of his publications:

Yeh, Z. and B. Khoshnevis, Geometric Conformity Analysis for Automated

Fabrication Processes Generating Ruled Surfaces-Demonstration for ContourCrafting, Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol 15, No 5, pp 361-369, 2009

Rahimi, M., A. Arhami and B. Khoshnevis, Crafting Technologies, Time Journalof Construction and Design, pp 30-32, April 2009 (invited editor-refereed article)

Di Carlo, T., B. Khoshnevis, and F. Udwadia, Whole-Brain Thinking in CreativeSystems Architecting, ENCOSE Journal of Systems Engineering, DOI10.1002/sys, 1-9, 2008

o Maria Shirazi:

A civil engineer in structure and infrastructure, graduated from Concordia University in 2011.

She has a Bachelor in Civil Engineering also in fine arts. She is doing her Master in Rapid

prototyping from McGill University. She worked for 3 years with the 3D printer in ceramic

designs. She is a member of Engineers Without Borders (EWB). She went for volunteering in

Africa to help people building homes. She got an internship in Italy in order to print a statue

made of ceramic.
http://craft.usc.edu/http://craft.usc.edu/http://craft.usc.edu/http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~khoshnev/mfe.htmlhttp://www-rcf.usc.edu/~khoshnev/mfe.htmlhttp://craft.usc.edu/


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Press release:

HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS USING 3D PRINTER

Montreal, April 11, 2014. CapstoneResearchers at Concordia University have announced

their proposal to use 3D printer (Contour Crafting) in building for the first time a room sized 6x6

ft2. They have been exploring the possibility of using a special kind of concrete. Using the CC,

houses, bridges, malls or any kind of institutions would be built in 24 hours. This research will

push back the frontiers of a new century where everyone will be able to build his ideal home

without asking the help of civil engineers and civil technicians. Dr. Khoshnevis, the advisor and

the projects leader seem very excited when asking him about the project: If we succeed to

meet our objectives for this project, then we will open the door to the next generation so

everyone will get a house even if Canadaspopulation will increase. Maria, a civil engineer

who is also working on this project adds: we are very enthusiastic about launching the project,

because a lot of engineers and scientists around the world are waiting to see the incredible

printed room, all the eyes are on us. When asked about the future of this machine, Maria

answered: I know some of mechanical engineers in NASA are thinking to send a similar

Contour Crafting to space and set it on Mars, then the 3D printer will start printing building so

our next generation will be 100% sure to live with either in a house on planet Earth or Mars!


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References

[1] B. Khoshnevis, "Automated construction by contour craftingrelated robotics andinformation technologies,"Autom. Constr., vol. 13, pp. 5-19, 1, 2004.

[2] J. Zhang and B. Khoshnevis, "Optimal machine operation planning for construction by

Contour Crafting,"Autom. Constr., vol. 29, pp. 50-67, 1, 2013.

[3] E. Mankin, "CATERPILLAR INC. FUNDS VITERBI 'PRINT-A-HOUSE'CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY," August 28, 2008.

[4] Y. Chen, G. E. Okudan and D. R. Riley, "Sustainable performance criteria for constructionmethod selection in concrete buildings,"Autom. Constr., vol. 19, pp. 235-244, 3, 2010.

[5] D. Knfel and J. -. Wang, "Properties of three newly developed quick cements," Cem.Concr. Res., vol. 24, pp. 801-812, 1994.

[6] S. S. Seehra, S. Gupta and S. Kumar, "Rapid setting magnesium phosphate cement for quickrepair of concrete pavementscharacterisation and durability aspects," Cem. Concr. Res., vol.23, pp. 254-266, 3, 1993.

List of illustration:


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3D printer (Contour Crafting)

3d printer prop

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