Foundation Piles—A New Feature for Concrete 3D Printers

Abstract

Foundation piles that are made by concrete 3D printers constitute a new alternative way of founding buildings constructed using incremental technology. We are currently observing very rapid development of incremental technology for the construction industry. The systems that are used for 3D printing with the application of construction materials make it possible to form permanent formwork for strip foundations, construct load-bearing walls and partition walls, and prefabricate elements, such as stairs, lintels, and ceilings. 3D printing systems do not offer soil reinforcement by making piles. The paper presents the possibility of making concrete foundation piles in laboratory conditions using a concrete 3D printer. The paper shows the tools and procedure for pile pumping. An experiment for measuring pile bearing capacity is described and an example of a pile deployment model under a foundation is described. The results of the tests and analytical calculations have shown that the displacement piles demonstrate less settlement when compared to the analysed shallow foundation. The authors indicate that it is possible to replace the shallow foundation with a series of piles combined with a printed wall without locally widening it. This type of foundation can be used for the foundation of low-rise buildings, such as detached houses. Estimated calculations have shown that the possibility of making foundation piles by a 3D printer will reduce the cost of making foundations by shortening the time of execution of works and reducing the consumption of construction materials.

Impact of 3D Printing on the Overall Project Success of Residential Construction Projects Using Structural Equation Modelling

“…The availability of resources is critically linked with the quality delivery of overall projects involving 3D construction printing, and this is in accordance with existing research in terms of identifying the quality parameters as critical outcomes of implementing 3D construction printing in the housing industry. It is also an effective indication of different research outcomes because, in the Malaysian residential construction sector, there is more importance given by participants to resource management, which is totally linked with implementing 3D construction printing in accordance with Bedarf et al and Hoffmann et al [63,76]. This behaviour is attributable to the concept of overall compliance with raw material quality as well as maintaining the quality delivery of projects, which is in accordance with existing research indicating successful outcomes of projects.…”

“…The printing technique will reduce waste, minimising production/environmental construction's effect [71,72] 3DP.PS4 Reduce the usage of formwork [70,73,74] 3DP.PS5 Enable and provide advanced healthcare [75,76] 3DP.PS6 Reduced human impact [38,62] Standardisation 3DP.PD1 Fewer logistical procedures and waste [72,76,77] 3DP.PD2 A shorter supply chain and a faster design cycle [73,74,78] 3DP.PD3 Reduce human mistakes [71,72] 3DP.PD4 Evaluate ideas generated during brainstorming considering the intended outcomes [73,79] Creativity 3DP.PC1 Provide innovative solutions [80,81] 3DP.PC2 Modelling architectural construction [69,81] 3DP.PC3 Permits more geometric flexibility when designing buildings that would not be achievable otherwise [12] 3DP.PC4 Flexible design and brand improvement [70,74] Credibility 3DP.PR1 Increased value in global market [79] 3DP.PR2 Bonding for accuracy and complexity [71][72][73] 3DP.PR3 Supports unusual and green designs [60,61] 3DP.PR4 Integration with other components [75,76] 2.2. Cost, Time, Quality, Safety, Environment Measurements A completed building project is now seen as par for the course.…”

A Dynamic Model for Effective and Optimal Planning of Formwork in Construction Projects

“…The formwork cost is a significant part of the total budgeted cost of the entire concrete structure. Previous research studies have shown that the cost of formwork represents an average of 25% of the cost of the entire concrete structure [4][5][6]. It is possible to reduce the cost through the adoption of Buildings 2023, 13, 1794 2 of 20 modern methods of construction [7].…”

Efficiency of Using PERI Formwork in Low-Rise Buildings Project

“…PERI system formwork is prefabricated formwork consisting of components, mostly made of steel, designed for repeated use. The formwork system's (PERI) advantages are easy installation and dismantling, lightweight, repeated use, quality casting, and fast dismantling, and can be used in large concrete construction projects [22], [4], [23], [24]. The disadvantage of the formwork system (PERI) is that it is expensive and requires expertise and heavy equipment, but for time, it is faster than conventional [5].…”