Davtalab, O (2018) A data driven software platform for process automation, planning and inspection of contour crafting large-scale robotic 3D printing system. PhD thesis, University of Southern California, USA.
Abstract
Automated construction through concrete 3D printing is deemed as a revolution in construction industry. This novel idea of scaling up additive manufacturing techniques for automated building construction has been topic of academic and industrial research for several years. Many advantages are offered by automated building construction such as superior construction speed and higher degree of customization. There are considerable efforts on use of robots for various construction purposes such as pre-fabrication or non-load-bearing structures. However, the focus of this thesis is on automated in-situ building construction using additive manufacturing techniques. Contour Crafting (CC) is the first additive fabrication technology developed for in-situ construction of custom-designed structures. It can radically reduce the construction cost by reducing the workforce required for the construction process. Various advantages such as better surface quality, higher fabrication speed and broader choice of materials are offered by the CC technology compared to other layered fabrication systems. CC is also considered as one of the most promising approaches for construction of human settlements on other planets such as the Moon and Mars. A review of past and ongoing projects reveals that so far most of the efforts in this area are focused on robot development and hardware improvement, as well as material performance. However, new software platforms are also highly essential for realizing a fully automated and reliable building construction system. Hardware and material related topics have been improved extensively over the past years while software related problems and needs are less discussed. The main objective of this thesis is to provide a software platform for large-scale robotic 3D printing process using layer by layer additive manufacturing system. The software is named Planning and Operations Control Software for Automated Construction (POCSAC). The thesis is divided into two major chapters that covers the preprocess and 3D printing process stages of an automated large-scale 3D printing system. In chapter one, a proposed framework presents details of interoperation between different components of an automated construction system and BIM platform such that maximum benefit is realized through synergy of the two technologies. Chapter one parts that cover preprocess tasks are: a) Integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) for robotic construction, b) Material Procurement and site logistics planning for an automated construction project. In the second chapter, an automated inspection system is proposed to be used during the 3d printing process of concrete layers. The outcomes from the second chapter are related to distinguishing concrete layers from surrounding objects in an image frame and then detecting defects of concrete layers which are then inserted back into the construction report generated from the BIM integrated software component proposed in the first chapter.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Khoshnevis, B |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | workforce; construction cost; construction project; in-situ; automation; building information modeling; fabrication; inspection; integration; logistics; manufacturing; robotic |
| Index terms: | automation, construction industry, fabrication, synergy, scaling, in-situ, hardware, robotic construction, industrial research, construction cost, automated construction, inspection, customization, building information modelling, platform, site logistics, construction project, additive manufacturing, construction process, integration, material procurement, building construction, 3D printing |
| Subjects: | computer hardware, financial and cost management, professional development, partnership management, organizational analysis, industry analysis, information systems, manufacturing, organization, construction manufacturing, operations management, contractual arrangements, manufacturing engineering, production management, automation and robotics, digital design, building construction, quality assurance |
| Topics: | Quality Management, Project Management, Engineering Principles, Digital Applications, Organizational Design, Site Management, Research Practice, Information Management, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Construction Technology, Stakeholder Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here