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Robotic AeroCrete (2019-09)

A Novel Robotic Spraying and Surface Treatment Technology for the Production of Slender Reinforced Concrete Elements

10.5151/proceedings-ecaadesigradi2019_675

Taha Nizar,  Walzer Alexander, Ruangjun Jetana, Bürgin Theophil,  Dörfler Kathrin,  Lloret-Fritschi Ena,  Gramazio Fabio,  Kohler Matthias
Contribution - Proceedings of the 37th Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe and 23rd Iberoamerican Society of Digital Graphics, pp. 245-256

Abstract

This research paper presents a novel method for robotic spraying ofglass-fibre reinforced concrete (GFRC) on a permeable reinforcement mesh. In this process, the mesh acts as a functional formwork during the concrete spraying process and as reinforcement once the concrete is cured, with the goal ofproducing slender reinforced concrete elements efficiently. The proofofconcept presented in this paper takes inspiration from Ferrocement'' technique, developed in the 1940s by Pier Luigi Nervi (Greco, 1994) and shows how robotic spraying has the potential ofproducing such slender and bespoke reinforced concrete elements while also having the potential ofreducing manual labour, waste and excess material. The system is coined with the nameRobotic AeroCrete'' (or RAC) in reference to the use ofan industrial robotic setup and the pneumatic projection of concrete.

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BibTeX
@inproceedings{taha_walz_ruan_burg.2019.RA,
  author            = "Nizar Taha and Alexander Nikolas Walzer and Jetana Ruangjun and Theophil Bürgin and Kathrin Dörfler and Ena Lloret-Fritschi and Fabio Gramazio and Matthias Daniel Kohler",
  title             = "Robotic AeroCrete: A Novel Robotic Spraying and Surface Treatment Technology for the Production of Slender Reinforced Concrete Elements",
  doi               = "10.5151/proceedings-ecaadesigradi2019_675",
  year              = "2019",
  pages             = "245--256",
  booktitle         = "Proceedings of the 37th Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe and 23rd Iberoamerican Society of Digital Graphics: Joint Conference",
  editor            = "Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe",
}
Formatted Citation

N. Taha, “Robotic AeroCrete: A Novel Robotic Spraying and Surface Treatment Technology for the Production of Slender Reinforced Concrete Elements”, in Proceedings of the 37th Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe and 23rd Iberoamerican Society of Digital Graphics: Joint Conference, 2019, pp. 245–256. doi: 10.5151/proceedings-ecaadesigradi2019_675.

Taha, Nizar, Alexander Nikolas Walzer, Jetana Ruangjun, Theophil Bürgin, Kathrin Dörfler, Ena Lloret-Fritschi, Fabio Gramazio, and Matthias Daniel Kohler. “Robotic AeroCrete: A Novel Robotic Spraying and Surface Treatment Technology for the Production of Slender Reinforced Concrete Elements”. In Proceedings of the 37th Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe and 23rd Iberoamerican Society of Digital Graphics: Joint Conference, edited by Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe, 245–56, 2019. https://doi.org/10.5151/proceedings-ecaadesigradi2019_675.