Concrete 3D printing helps build UK high-speed rail infrastructure

Recently, the contractor of the London terminus of the UK’s upcoming high-speed 2 (HS2) railway network revealed that they intend to use it in construction from next year.3D printing.The Antarctic Bear learned that in this project
architecture
The company uses a technology called “Printfrastructure” to build concrete slabs on site, instead of transporting materials there before starting construction like the traditional model.
This technology has achieved continuous tunnel construction while avoiding the problem of restricted lines. The trial will begin in 2022, and we will also see the use of graphene-filled concrete instead of steel bars in some areas, which may make the construction of the line faster and more sustainable than before.

In the past 20 years, rail travel in the UK has more than doubled. Although more than £74 billion has been invested in improving the rail network, the rail network has been unable to keep up with demand. Although it is possible to solve the problem of overcrowding through further upgrades, it is estimated that this will result in 2,700 weekend closures in the next 15 years, which will have a significant impact on travel across the country.
In order to avoid this situation, the United Kingdom
transportation
The Ministry established a company called HS2 in 2009 with the purpose of establishing a line with a daily capacity of 300,000 to connect London with northern cities such as Manchester and Leeds. However, since its inception, the project has been criticized for causing damage, has not reached the original scope, and the budget has been increasing, which is said to have exceeded 44 billion pounds.
To make matters worse, the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic has delayed the construction of many HS2 sites, which is said to have also cost the project an emergency budget of £1.7 billion and requires more funds in the future.In view of HS2’s mistakes, HS2 decided to adopt3D printingTechnology can now be seen as an attempt to get the project back on track, especially considering the speed and automation potential of the technology.

SCS JV is a joint venture of Skanska, Costain and STRABAG, responsible for the construction of the HS2 London tunnel, and has now turned to ChangeMaker 3D and its technology to optimize this process.The new construction technology called “Printfrastructure” is a proprietary process of HS2, which involves the use of computer-controlled robots to install3D printingMachine to precisely create the specifications of complex concrete structures.
It is generally believed that once deployed at HS2’s London terminal site, these robots will be able to enter areas where other processes are physically restricted and cannot be operated, reducing the need for complex and expensive logistics plans. The automated nature of the ChangeMaker 3D program also makes it possible to reduce any construction-induced travel interruptions, as services usually have to be suspended to ensure worker safety.
In addition, as an added benefit, the contractor expects that the technology will be able to create an internal mesh structure, which not only serves as a reinforcement but also uses less material.With this in mind, the contractors are also working with Versarien to integrate graphene into3D printingIn concrete, it may enable them to reduce the carbon emissions of the entire project.

Environmentally friendly infrastructure construction is already on the way

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