A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge has developed a 3D-printed concrete wall that could help make our infrastructure safer and more sustainable.

The collaboration between the Cambridge team and the industry led to the creation of a headwall equipped with embedded sensors that can provide real-time information. 

3D Printing Concrete Wall 

Recently, the realm of 3D printing has unveiled boundless opportunities, and Cambridge researchers have harnessed this technology to develop a concrete wall. 

According to Interesting Engineering, this innovation holds the potential to enhance the safety, intelligence, and sustainability of our infrastructure. Through a successful collaboration between the Cambridge team and the industry, they have introduced a cutting-edge retaining wall known as a headwall.

The key feature of this structure lies in the incorporation of embedded sensors, enabling it to deliver real-time information and insights. Embedded sensors provide real-time temperature, strain, and pressure data, helping researchers detect flaws proactively. 

Professor Abir Al-Tabbaa, from the Department of Engineering at Cambridge, said in a press release that digitizing the wall means "it can speak for itself, and we can use our sensors to understand these 3D-printed structures better and accelerate their acceptance in the industry."

The structure has been currently installed on the A30 roadway in Cornwall, United Kingdom, where it has been producing real-time information through embedded sensors.

The team reportedly utilized LiDAR scanning during printing "to create a 3D point cloud and generate a digital twin of the wall," allowing a comprehensive understanding of its behavior. Using the Cambridge-designed sensors enables the wall to communicate its status that could help spot and correct faults before they occur.

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Substantial Costs, Carbon Emission Savings

By leveraging 3D printing, a collaborative team of specialists from Costain, Jacobs, and Versarien designed and constructed a curved hollow wall without formwork or steel reinforcement. The wall's strength is derived from its unique geometry instead of relying on steel. 

Printed in just one hour at Versarien's headquarters in Gloucestershire, the wall stands approximately two meters tall and three and a half meters wide. 

The Cambridge team said in a statement that eight Piezoceramic Lead-Zirconate-Titanate (PZT) sensors were attached within the wall layers at different positions during the 3D printing process to capture the presence of loading and strain "both during the construction process and service life after field installation."

The team also created a custom wireless data-gathering system, which allowed the sensors' multifrequency electromechanical response data to be collected remotely from Cambridge. They also developed various "smart" self-healing concretes.

Al-Tabbaa said: "The sensor data and 'digital twin' will help infrastructure professionals better understand how 3D printing can be used and tailored to print larger and more complex cement-based materials for the strategic road network."

The team noted that this innovative 3D printing method will result in saving money, materials, and carbon emissions.

National Highways Project

Supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the European Union, 3D Natives reported that the project forms a crucial component of both the Resilient Materials for Life Program and the Digital Roads of the Future Initiative.

Cambridge researchers have reached a significant milestone as they successfully developed the first 3D-printed piece of concrete infrastructure for a National Highways project.

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