{"id":22848,"date":"2017-12-15T13:13:19","date_gmt":"2017-12-15T18:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=22848"},"modified":"2019-03-12T12:06:28","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T16:06:28","slug":"netherlands-3d-printed-bridge-eindhoven-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/netherlands-3d-printed-bridge-eindhoven-university\/","title":{"rendered":"Netherlands Has World\u2019s First 3D-Printed Concrete Bridge Thanks to Eindhoven University of Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU\/e) has printed the world\u2019s first 3D-printed concrete bridge, which was recently <\/span>installed<\/span><\/a> as a part of a new road around the village of Gemert in the Netherlands. <\/span><\/p>\n

The bridge is primarily meant for bicyclists. Since there are more bikes than people in the Netherlands, it is expected that hundreds of cyclists will ride over the 3D-printed bridge every day. <\/span><\/p>\n

The new bridge is the first 3D-printed civil infrastructure project in the country. It is part of a large road construction project — the Noord-Om project — that was led by the company BAM Infra and commissioned by the province of North-Brabant.<\/span><\/p>\n

Measuring 8 meters long and 3.5 meters wide, the bridge is designed to carry bicyclists for 30 years or more. <\/span><\/p>\n

The structural integrity of the bridge was tested both in the lab as well as on location when a 5-ton weight was placed on it. That\u2019s more weight than the bridge will ever actually carry.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bridge\u2019s elements were printed at TU\/e, which <\/span>performs high-end research on concrete printing<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

TU\/e began developing a <\/span>giant concrete 3D printer<\/span><\/a> as part of a large-scale research project in 2015. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo credit: Rien Meulman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T.A.M. (Theo) Salet<\/span><\/a>, a professor of concrete structures at TU\/e, said that the university\u2019s goal is to make the 3D print process \u201crobust and repeatable\u201d so the entire process is seamless from design to printing. The process, he explained, uses an open system in which the robot reads the drawing, prints and corrects all that is needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The university also aims to \u201cdefine test methods for printed concrete to make codes\u201d and to \u201crealize structural applications like reinforcement,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Based on the research outcome, some of the university\u2019s industrial partners came up with the idea to print the bridge eight months ago. <\/span><\/p>\n

The TU\/e researchers then developed a process to incorporate steel reinforcement cables while laying a strip of concrete. The cable is the equivalent of the reinforcement mesh used in conventional concrete, which handles the stress from tension.<\/span><\/p>\n