Under India’s G20 presidency, the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati is actively working to make a significant contribution to the construction of a sustainable future. As part of the G20 initiatives, IIT Guwahati innovators built a 3D printed security post out of a special M40 grade sustainable concrete that included industrial wastes, fibres, and chemical admixtures. This automated and innovative technology is ready to provide customised houses in India in less construction time with controlled quality. The
innovation is expected to reduce concrete use by 75 per cent.
The security post was built in collaboration with the Institute’s Infrastructure, Planning, and Management team and is said to be environmentally friendly in terms of construction and material composition. The 3D Security post has a carpet area of 85 square feet and 56 modules. The team printed custom-designed tetrahedron modules with overhang features of 22 degrees and embossed features up to 40 mm for the first time.
To print the overhanging features, a special sustainable concrete mix design (patent pending) was created with various accelerator and retarder combinations that meet the demanding rheological and mechanical performance requirements of a 3D printed structure.
Future
Emerging technologies such as 3D printing play a vital role in achieving circular construction economy. This requires integration of new sustainable materials derived from industrial wastes with multi-functionality properties.
The team of researchers is working hard to create high-performance concrete mixes made from industrial waste for printing such complex structures. The team intends to investigate underwater concrete printing as well as the possibility of printing functional reinforced concrete using low-carbon materials. Furthermore, the team believes that on-demand, on-site 3D concrete will have a global impact on versatile construction applications and multibillion-dollar markets around the world.
