FMSG: Eco: Off-Grid Construction via Sustainable Compression Curing of Vegetable Oil-Impregnated Sediments

增材制造（AM）由于其逐层构建方法，有效地改变了工程师和建筑师设计和制造产品的方式。传统制造工艺无法提供的新水平的产品复杂性/定制化现在可以实现，从而减轻重量，增强一致性，关节巩固，并通过设计提高效率。该项目结合了工程、化学、建筑和地质等专业的教师，创新了一种太阳能压缩/固化技术，该技术可以用桐油和当地的沙子制造建筑材料，从而实现可持续的原土建筑。这种制造方法可以充分利用美国国内现有的自然资源，从而减少对国际原材料的依赖。它还响应了日益增长的创新需求，并克服了因COVID大流行和气候变化导致的城市向农村迁移而加剧的偏远建设限制。原材料的远程AM将有助于减少与基于混凝土的AM建筑相关的大量碳足迹，这种建筑依赖于必须运输到工地的重型龙门材料挤压系统。建筑学学生将接受商业粘合剂喷射增材制造系统的培训，将可持续增材制造过程的新知识整合到他们的设计中。将为工程和建筑专业的本科生提供客座讲座，拓宽他们的视野和创造力，以确保未来在美国先进制造业的创新。这个基础制造研究项目的目标是设计和测试一种新的基于粘合剂/粉末的AM工艺，用于制造用于结构应用的土源复合材料。通过建模和实验，增材制造过程将被设计为离网使用，同时保持完全可持续。桐油将用于粘合大小、形状和化学性质变化很大的砂。使用的砂将通过显微镜和流动性测量来表征。这些测量结果将与沉积物扩散成具有最小空隙的薄层的能力相关，当由定制设计的滚轮作用时。粘结剂的流变特性会发生变化，直到实现有效的喷射和泥沙入渗。粘合剂将通过由热和紫外线（UV）辐射的组合引发的自由基聚合而固化。在未精炼沉积物存在的情况下，粘合剂均匀固化所需的潜热将与集中的太阳能/光谱有关，以帮助设计太阳能发电/加热装置。一阶能量平衡和熵最小化将指导电力/加热单元的设计。将建造一个概念验证制造系统，并为进行“砖”建筑实验配备仪器。将进行热力学测试以确定这些制造的复合砖的强度。该项目由民用、机械和制造创新部和刺激竞争研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

Additive manufacturing (AM) has effectively revolutionized how engineers and architects design and fabricate products due to its layer-by-layer building approach. New levels of product complexity/customization not offered by traditional manufacturing processes are now achievable, resulting in weight reduction, enhanced conformability, joint consolidation, and higher efficiencies through design. This project combines faculty in engineering, chemistry, architecture, and geology to innovate a solar-powered compression/curing technique that additively fabricates building materials made of tung oil and local sands for sustainable, raw-earth construction. This manufacturing method can leverage available natural resources within the U.S., therefore reducing any reliance on international raw materials. It also responds to a growing need to innovate and overcome remote construction constraints exacerbated by urban-to-rural migration driven by the COVID pandemic and climate change. The remote AM of raw earth materials will help reduce the large carbon footprint associated with concrete-based AM construction which relies on heavy gantry-based material extrusion systems that must be transported to worksites. Architecture students will be trained on a commercial binder-jet AM system for integrating new knowledge in sustainable AM processes into their designs. Guest lectures will be provided to engineering and architecture undergraduate students to broaden their perspectives and creativity to ensure future innovation in the U.S. advanced manufacturing industries.The goal of this fundamental manufacturing research project is to design and test a new binder/powder-based AM process for the fabrication of earth-sourced composites for structural applications. Through modeling and experimentation, the AM process will be designed for off-grid use while remaining completely sustainable. Tung oil will be employed for binding sands of highly variable sizes, shapes, and chemistry. Employed sands will be characterized using microscopy and flowability measurements. These measurements will be correlated with the sediment’s ability to spread into a thin layer with minimal voids when acted upon by a custom-designed roller. Binder rheological properties will be varied until effective jetting and sediment infiltration are realized. The binder will be cured via free radical polymerization triggered by a combination of heat and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The latent heat required for uniform binder curing in the presence of unrefined sediments will be related with concentrated solar energy/spectra for aiding the design of a solar power/heating unit. First order energy balances and entropy minimization will guide power/heating unit design. A proof-of-concept manufacturing system will be constructed and instrumented for conducting “brick” building experiments. Thermomechanical tests will be performed to determine the strength of these manufactured composite bricks.This project is jointly funded by the Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.