3D printing of curved concrete surfaces using Adaptable Membrane Formwork

• Main Authors: Lim, Jian Hui, Weng, Yiwei, Pham, Quang-Cuong
• Other Authors: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Engineering::Mechanical engineering; 3D Concrete Printing; Facade
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/142604
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In this paper, we study the printing of non-developable curved panels using existing 3D concrete printing technology combined with a novel Adaptable Membrane Formwork. The Adaptable Membrane Formwork consists of a grid of threaded rods, whose heights are adjustable and covered by a membrane sheet. Using this method, we were able to 3D-print, for the first time, Saddle and Dome-shaped concrete surfaces, which are non-developable. The printed specimens had good print quality and geometric fidelity, as shown by quantitative assessment. The proposed method thus demonstrates great potential for the 3D printing of freeform, curved and architectural facades.