Students from VUT designed their own more ecological mixtures for 3D printing from concrete

Brno – The most environmentally friendly mix for 3D concrete printing was developed by students of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Brno University of Technology (VUT) during an international internship in France. The jury was also impressed by the structure of the printed concrete column, which resembled a woven basket. The internship focused on 3D concrete printing, a technology that is becoming increasingly applied in construction. The school announced this in a press release.

Students experienced all activities related to 3D concrete printing, from designing their own mix to creating a concrete column that had to meet the required strength parameters. "Students learned to replace traditional cement with eco-friendly alternatives and also worked with recycled materials such as concrete dust or ash from coal power plants. Part of the design included evaluating the carbon footprint and assessing the material's life cycle," described Libor Topolář from VUT, who accompanied the students.

One team managed to reduce the amount of cement used by up to half, utilizing recycled concrete dust in their design. Students considered not only the properties of the material but also its availability. "The ecological burden is not just the production itself. One must also think about where the materials come from and whether they have to be transported across half of Europe," stated Vojtěch Rudický from the first year of the Master's program in Environmentally Advanced Buildings.

The expert jury was captivated by the design of the printed column's structure, which resembled a woven basket. It was created by a team led by Markéta Kořínková from the third year of the Bachelor's program in Architecture of Building Constructions. "The path of the printing head moved in waves, so the resulting surface resembled a woven basket. It was not easy, as individual layers do not always adhere well to each other. However, in the end, we successfully printed the design," Kořínková stated.

In addition to team work on assigned tasks, students also practiced defending technical solutions in English. The faculty plans to incorporate details from the field of robotic 3D printing and advanced diagnostics into its study programs. 3D concrete printing could influence the future of construction.