I-Corps: 3D Printed Earth-Fiber Building products

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是支持和商业化完全低碳的3D打印建筑材料。使用广泛的100%天然生物和地质材料，该项目提供了一个可打印的地球和生物纤维混合物的目录-古代技术的现代化版本-可以适应不同地区的特定材料可用性。除了使用非传统材料为增材制造创造新产品外，该项目的更广泛影响是通过利用其美学传统和当地材料，即“农场到建筑”，与特定社区建立联系。该项目利用工程和建筑作为跨学科工具来改善环境和社会公平，通过与先进制造业领导者建立现场合作来推进制造加工。该I-Corps项目基于3D打印泥土纤维建筑产品的开发。地球材料是一种新兴的，可持续的替代胶凝材料，因为它们的低碳，可负担性，劳动安全和热特性，同时增加碳储存和产生轻质文物。通过开发瓷砖，砖块和墙板的可打印配方，该项目提供了一系列天然纤维来增强3D打印的土制组件，纤维含量从常见的地球成分到新开发的打印轻纤维粘土。通过生产一系列具有不同纤维含量的配方，这一系列工作为纯天然、无毒和低碳资源的建筑元件提供了各种热、结构和重量可能性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to bolster and commercialize radically low-carbon 3D-printed building materials. Using a wide range of 100% natural bio- and geo-genic materials, this project provides a catalogue of printable mixtures of earth and biological fibers—modernized versions of ancient technologies— that could adapt to the specific material availability of different territories. In addition to creating new products for additive manufacturing using nonconventional materials, the broader impact of this project is to create a link to the specific community by exploiting both their aesthetical traditions and local materials, namely “farm to building”. Using engineering and architecture as interdisciplinary tools to improve environmental and social equity, this project advances fabrication processing through establishing field collaborations with leaders in advanced manufacturing.This I-Corps project is based on the development of 3D printed earth-fiber construction products. Earth materials are an emerging, sustainable alternative to cementitious materials because of their low embodied carbon, affordability, labor safety, and thermal characteristics while increasing carbon storage and generating lightweight artifacts. By developing printable recipes for tiles, bricks, and wall panels, this project presents a range of natural fibers to reinforce 3D printed earthen assemblies, with fiber contents ranging from common earth components to newly developed printed light fiber clay. By producing a range of recipes, with varying fiber contents, this line of work produces a variety of thermal, structural, and weight possibilities for building elements made with purely natural, nontoxic, and low-carbon resources.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.