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Board 31: Case Study: Reimagining a Design Project with 3D-printed Concrete

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

July 12, 2024

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL) Poster Session

Tagged Division

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/46888

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Paper Authors

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Afeefa Rahman University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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Casey J Rodgers University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-6378-3386

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Jacob Henschen University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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Professor Henschen completed his B.S., M.S., and PhD. at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2007, 2009, and 2018 respectively. He was an Assistant Professor at Valparaiso University until he moved to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a Teaching Assistant Professor in June 2020. He serves as the co-chair for the Teaching Methods and Education Materials Committee at ACI and the co-chair of the Committee on Faculty Development at ASCE.

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Abstract

Additive manufacturing with concrete has surged over the last decade, potentially reshaping the landscape of the construction industry. This innovative technique introduces numerous engineering challenges due to the intersection of printer mechanics, volumetric extrusion dynamics, and performance-driven concrete mixture designs. In response to this evolving landscape, a integrative design project was modified to explore the emerging field of 3D printing with concrete. The objectives to this project include strengthening material design concepts, building experimental design skills, and providing hands-on experience with a new technology. Additionally, this project introduces the concept of prototyping a design which is not common in civil engineering. Students are tasked with designing and building an egg protection device using a 3D concrete printer. The initial phase consists of a mixture development phase followed by empirical testing of the fresh properties of their mixture to determine the optimal mortar mixture. In the second phase, students design their egg protection device, convert the model to machine code, print their structure and finally load test it. Reports are required at the end of each phase, and a summary presentation is made to the entire course at the end of the project. This project aims to improve several student outcomes such as experimental design and analysis, research of new technology, and communication. Initial student reflections were collected at the end of the project and are presented here. By intertwining contemporary technology with traditional course structures, we aim to reinforce the design thinking of students while providing hands-on experience with an emergent technology.

Rahman, A., & Rodgers, C. J., & Henschen, J. (2024, June), Board 31: Case Study: Reimagining a Design Project with 3D-printed Concrete Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/46888

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