Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Three-Dimensional Printing Using Recycled High-Density Polyethylene: Technological Challenges and Future Directions for Construction

Faham Tahmasebinia
* ORCID logo ,
Marjo Niemelä
,
Sanee M. Ebrahimzadeh Sepasgozar
,
Tin Yiu Lai
ORCID logo ,
Winson Su
,
Kakarla Raghava Reddy
,
Sara Shirowzhan
ORCID logo ,
Samad M. E. Sepasgozar
ORCID logo ,
Fernando Alonso Marroquin
Version 1 : Received: 13 November 2018 / Approved: 14 November 2018 / Online: 14 November 2018 (10:39:43 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Tahmasebinia, F.; Niemelä, M.; Ebrahimzadeh Sepasgozar, S.M.; Lai, T.Y.; Su, W.; Reddy, K.R.; Shirowzhan, S.; Sepasgozar, S.; Marroquin, F.A. Three-Dimensional Printing Using Recycled High-Density Polyethylene: Technological Challenges and Future Directions for Construction. Buildings 2018, 8, 165. Tahmasebinia, F.; Niemelä, M.; Ebrahimzadeh Sepasgozar, S.M.; Lai, T.Y.; Su, W.; Reddy, K.R.; Shirowzhan, S.; Sepasgozar, S.; Marroquin, F.A. Three-Dimensional Printing Using Recycled High-Density Polyethylene: Technological Challenges and Future Directions for Construction. Buildings 2018, 8, 165.

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies are transforming the design and manufacture of components and products across a variety of disciplines, however their application in the construction industry is still limited. Material deposition processes can achieve infinite geometries and have advanced from rapid prototyping and model-scale markets to their application in fabricating functional products, large objects and the construction of full-scale buildings. Many international projects have recently been realized and the construction industry is beginning to utilise these dynamic technologies. The potential advantages for integrating 3D printing into house construction are significant, these include the capacity for mass customization of designs and parameters for functional and aesthetic purposes, reduction in construction waste from highly precise material placement, and the use of recycled waste products in layer deposition materials. With the ultimate goal of improving construction efficiency and decreasing building costs, applying Strand7 Finite Element Analysis software, a numerical model was designed specifically for 3D printing in a cement mix incorporated with recycled waste product High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and found that construction of an arched truss-like roof was structurally feasible without the need for steel reinforcements. The lab sizes prototypes were manufactured based on the destined numerical model by using a 3D printing technology. Currently available 3D printing technologies can be adopted for building construction and this paper discusses the applications, advantages, limitations and future directions of 3D printing as an innovative and viable solution for affordable house construction.

Keywords

3D printing (3DP), Construction processes, Architectural design, Concrete Engineering, Numerical Modelling, Arch-Roof, High-density polyethylene (HDPE), Additive manufacturing (AM), Computer-aided design (CAD), Manufacture, Design, Sustainability

Subject

Engineering, Architecture, Building and Construction

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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