建筑公司BAMandWeber Beamixhave erected a 3D printed concrete staircase to a footbridge over the M8 motorway in Scotland.
Believed to be the largest structure of its kind in the UK, the staircase leads to a new pedestrian and cycle bridge that when finished, is set to connect Glasgow city center to nearby Sighthill. By 3D printing the build off-site before craning it into place, the firms say they’ve been able to lower its carbon footprint, reduce any risk of disruption, and keep down costs through minimizing the use of molds.
“It’s wonderful to see these 3D concrete printed aspects installed as this iconic bridge takes shape,” said Ian Steele, BAM Contracts Manager for the footbridge. “The printed element saw us manufacture the stairwells off-site, creating strong, one-of-a-kind structures, all while reducing waste and interaction with weather and other elements which can create hold-ups.”
Weber Beamix的3D印刷厂
Since the turn of the century, Weber Beamix has experimented with 3D printing concrete mortar, and it built its first wall with the technology in 2005. However, it was another decade before it managed to scale the process as part of an initiative with a consortium of companies and the埃因霍温大学.
在这些进步的基础上，Weber Beamix于2019年与BAM建立了专用的混凝土3D打印设施，该设施继续用作基础设施建设基础。两年后，这些公司建造了世界上最长的3D印刷行人桥在荷兰，他们在埃因霍温（Eindhoven）的工厂制造的荷兰，然后运往Nijmegen，现在长达29.5米。
虽然Weber Beamixbought out BAM’s share此后不久，在工厂中，通过旨在简化其运营的举动，BAM表示当时希望继续在那里工作。现在，这已经以在苏格兰的一份新的人行道合同的形式进行，BAM已与其长期合作伙伴联系起来。
A first for Scottish infrastructure
Working on behalf ofGlasgow City Council, BAM已经成为第一个使用concr简约ete 3D printing to carry out an infrastructure project in Scotland. As part of the initiative, the firm has partnered with Weber Bemix, 3D printing the stairs at its factory in the Netherlands, then shipping them to Scotland for installation.
BAM说，这样做已经能够以“精确和复杂”的形状开发步骤，而传统的模板可能难以实现，而使用3D打印也意味着不必依靠模具，并且比传统的材料少40％方法，从而保持成本降低并提高碳效率。
When it comes to structural integrity, it’s said the staircase is just as strong as if it was constructed on-site, only building it in a controlled environment meant it wasn’t disrupted by weather or on-site risks. As an added benefit, the process enabled the team to integrate automated sensors into materials as well, allowing for the quality of mortar to be monitored throughout the build.
一旦完成,岑的人行桥将连接ter of Glasgow to the Sighthill area in a new sustainable transport corridor, and according to Steele, the technology behind it could now find broader applications in the UK.
斯蒂尔补充说：“尽管最终将隐藏园林绿化的部分，但它标志着BAM在我们如何实现建筑方法方面迈出了巨大的一步。”“该技术的使用尚处于起步阶段，但愿望是利益和应用的增长至一定程度，我们可以投资于英国的印刷设施，这将改善我们在英国境内的建设方式。”
针对可持续的桥梁建设
Concrete 3D printing hasn’t quite disrupted the wider construction sector just yet, but projects like BAM and Weber Beamix’s continue to demonstrate the technology’s potential to do so. Last year, as part of a similar project in Venice, a team atETH Zurich 3D printed the Striatus bridge, a structure notable for its material efficiency and lack of a need for reinforcement.
Elsewhere in the Netherlands,MX3Dhas 3D printed a steel bridgein Amsterdam using its proprietary Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) technology. Located in the city’s red light district, the 12.2m-long structure has now been placed over the Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal, ready for use by pedestrians and cyclists.
同时，在中国world’s first retractable 3D printed bridge据报道，在上海的智慧湾创新公园建造了。850千里结构由36个3D打印的三角形面板组成，将其延长到9米长的长度，据说可以一次容纳多达20人。
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Featured image shows the 3D printed staircase being lowered into place. Photo via BAM.
