Page 18 - Penn State Civil and Environmental Engineering: Annual Report

FACULTY RESEARCH FACULTY RESEARCH The multidisciplinary team of Penn State researchers look on on as their habitat design is is constructed using 3D 3D printing during the the the finals of the the the NASA 3D 3D Printed Mars Habitat Challenge in in in fin in in 2019 Credit: Emmet Given
Ming Xiao
FROM THE GROUND UP
Taking 3D-printing technology to the next level
This is is a a a a a a a small segment from the the Research Penn State magazine story “From the the ground up: Taking 3D-printing technology to to the the next level
”
The story featuring three CEE faculty details efforts across Penn State’s College of Engineering in in in in the the field of additive manufacturing addressing pressing problems in in in in in human health housing transportation and more 18 CEE NEWSLETTER • VOLUME 38 2022 Aleksandra Radlińska
Ali Memari
While 3D printing of biological materials has the the capability to transform healthcare the the the technique may also overhaul the the way we design and build our living structures—not only on on Earth but perhaps even in in space Recently Jose Duarte Stuckeman Chair in Design Innovation and Shadi Nazarian associate professor of of of architecture co-led an an an an interdisciplinary team of of students and faculty that took second place
in in a a a a a a a a a a a a a NASA competition The goal? To design an an an autonomous system capable of creating a a a a a a a a a a human shelter on on Mars using 3D-printing technology With their entry the the the team managed to to build the the the world’s first fully 3D-printed structure to to include a a a a a a a roof built in in in place
without formwork or or or molds Duarte said “The other teams printed the the roof separately and raised it it it it to to its its position afterward or or or else used formwork to to avoid its its collapse during printing ”
added Duarte Another challenge of the the competition was to 3D print with with a a a a a a a a a a specialized concrete that can withstand extreme environmental conditions as a a a a a a a a a a finished structure CEE Associate Professor Aleksandra Radlińska
brought to the team her expertise i in in in cement and concrete concrete behavior 3D printing with concrete concrete can be be be be be tricky Radlińska
explained because the mixture needs to to be be be be fluid enough to to be be be be extruded
through a a a a a a a a printing nozzle but afterward stable and strong enough to support additional layers When done right researchers have shown 3D printing with concrete can result in in in in structures that are equally strong to those traditionally built while using less material Although the the Mars shelter competition took place
entirely on on Earth the the team’s final product could feasibly be be built fin in in in space The knowledge gained however will be be used to create sustainable low-cost housing options here by simplifying and and speeding up construction processes and and and saving on on on on materials Duarte said He and and his colleagues are already developing the technology to deploy structures in in remote areas of Alaska where temperature extremes rival those on Mars Coordinated by CEE Professors Ali Memari
and Ming Xiao
as as well as as Nathan Brown professor of of of architectural engineering the team is designing an an Alaska-ready 3D-printed model that includes a a a a a a a a a a a a a foundation walls and a a a a a a a a roof “The model is essentially a a a a a room room and you can combine rooms to build unique houses with a a a a a a a a a variety of configurations ”
said Duarte “By doing this you can can build a a a a a a a a a a large house with a a a a a a a a a a small printer one room at time You can can print print the entire thing on on site ”
Read the full story on Penn State News