Robust bead width manipulation and control for military additive construction operations in expeditionary environments

Since the introduction of large-scale additive manufacturing with cement-based materials, there has been a need to develop robust control systems to improve the accuracy and increase the automation capabilities of the manufacturing process. In this thesis, a robust control system is developed to manipulate the width of the extruded concrete bead while printing. The system is designed to work with a printer that is intended for use in expeditionary, military environments. The system generates a process map that correlates the width of the extruded concrete bead to the velocity of the gantry printer. To accomplish this, a calibration print is designed that varies the gantry velocity along the print path and holds a constant pump speed. After the calibration print is printed, an advanced scanning apparatus is used to the measure the bead width along the entire print. A process map is then generated from the resulting measurements. From the process map, desired printing parameters are selected and input into the G-code to achieve the desired bead width. This method enables military operators to select multiple bead widths to be implemented in prints regardless of the rheological properties of the cement-based material that is being extruded. The end result of this robust control system is the ability to manipulate the bead width during large-scale additive construction prints to within ± 1/4”, on average. Furthermore, the entire process from the start of the calibration print to the implementation of new printing parameters is completed in less than 5 minutes.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mechanical Engineering

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Kuipers, Kurtis

Contributors dc:contributor

• Alleyne, Andrew G

• additive manufacturing
• 3D printing
• concrete
• mortar
• cement
• CERL
• additive construction
• control
• US Army

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Kurtis Kuipers

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/115709

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F115709