Image © Mike Jazdyk | USAERDC
Image © Mike Jazdyk | USAERDC
Image © Mike Jazdyk | USAERDC
[Summary]
Researchers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are leading a new program, Automated Construction of Expeditionary Structures (ACES), to advance new innovations in 3D-printed concrete structures. A full-scale “barracks hut” was recently printed as part of the program with design and engineering support from SOM.
Housed within the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), ACES is developing a technology capable of 3D-printing custom-designed expeditionary structures on demand, in the field, using concrete sourced from local materials.
ERDC engaged SOM based on the firm’s experience with AMIE 1.0, a 3D-printed demonstration project for the Department of Energy with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.