Despite a looooong delay, the wait was worth it, as our two robotic arms are now all set up in the Civil Engineering Building at the University of Cambridge and ready for action!
An efficient and smooth installation, plus excellent training by Global Robots and Phoenix Control Systems.
All we need to do now is to name them … we welcome your (polite) suggestions.
Robin presented ACORN's work on 'Automated framework for the optimisation of spatial layouts for concrete structures reinforced with robotic filament winding' at the International Symposium of Automation and Robotics in Construction 2020 this morning, organised online by the University of Kitakyushu, Japan.
Stay tuned for a more detailed publication including physical prototypes!
The Abstract of his paper is:
Concrete is a major contributor to the environmental impact of the construction industry, due to its cement content but also its reinforcement. Reinforcement has a significant contribution because of construction rationalisation, resorting to regular mats or cages of steel bars, despite layout-optimisation algorithms and additive-manufacturing technologies. This paper presents an automated framework, connecting design and fabrication requirements for the optimisation of spatial layouts as of reinforcement of concrete structures, by the means of robotic filament winding.
You can download the paper in full for free from the Sympoisum Website:
We are delighted to welcome two new Postgraduate Researchers to the ACORN Team: Anna Perepechay and Maxime Pollet!
Anna is joining the ACORN team to research a PhD under the supervision of Saverio Spadea the University of Dundee. Her main research interest centres around the potential of concrete to become an innovative, low-carbon construction material.
Anna holds two Bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering, one obtained in Denmark and another one in Poland, and Master’s degree in Structural and Foundation Engineering from the Heriot Watt University in Scotland. She is a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Structural Engineers. She has over 6 years of the professional experience working as a structural engineer in multidisciplinary consultancies in London and in Edinburgh.
In 2019, Anna was awarded the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre Collaborative Postgraduate Funding for a dissertation that had significant relevance to the construction sector and a high degree of originality and innovation potential.
Maxime is joining the ACORN team to research a PhD under the supervision of Paul Shepherd at the University of Bath. He will notably develop a Digital Twin of the Demonstration Building, which will be built at the BRE Innovation Park in Watford.
Before joining ACORN, Maxime graduated as a Civil Engineer from the Edinburgh Napier University in 2019. His Master’s thesis was focused on the development of an algorithm for the form-finding of cable net structures. Prior to this, Maxime studied two years in Grenoble and graduated from a technological degree in Civil Engineering and Sustainability.
Maxime also gained practical on-site experience during two placements. Thus, he worked two months as a project manager in Montfavet (France) for VINCI Construction, where he supervised the finishing works of two residential buildings.
ACORN was present at Digital Concrete 2020 last week, to present our paper titled “Automating Concrete Construction: Digital Design of Non-Prismatic Reinforced Concrete Beams“. You’ll find more on our publication in the Outputs section.
This year’s edition of Digital Concrete was held online from TU Eindhoven, with a fantastic host of participants both from academia and industry, presenting their work on the application of digital technologies to concrete construction.
Presented research was split into seven tracks: Structural Engineering & Reinforcement; Applications & Case studies; Digital design, Technologies and Industrialization; Sustainability and Life-cycle analysis; Mechanical performance; Rheology; and Mixture design. The majority of the presented papers addressed concrete 3D-printing, and in this edition with a particular focus on how to add reinforcement to it. Interesting projects making use of formwork - exclusively or in articulation with 3D-printing - were also present and spawned interesting discussions on the topic.
ACORN has made the headlines in Civil Engineering Surveyor, the trade publication of the Chartered Insitution of Civil Engineering Surveyors.
Lets hope they have a lot less Concrete to survey in future as a result !
OK, so they didn’t mention ACORN by name, nor link to our website like I’d asked. But at least they spelled my name right and got the facts of what we are trying to do across fairly well.
The article makes interesting reading anyway, so why not give it a look:
We are delighted to announce Robin Oval has joined the ACORN team. Robin will join John and Diana in the Engineering Department of the University of Cambridge as a Research Associate, marking the end of ACORN’s recruitment phase.
Before joining ACORN, Robin researched his PhD in structural design across two high-profile institutions - the Laboratoire Navier at l’École des Ponts in Paris and at the Block Research Group at ETH Zürich. Prior to this, Robin graduated as a structural Engineer from l’École des Ponts in 2016, through studying a double degree in structure and architecture with the architecture school of Paris-Marne.
For a year, Robin also gained practice experience in the the structural engineering office of Bollinger + Grohmann in Frankfurt in 2014/2015. His Master’s thesis with the Block Research Group tackles the design of force patterns for funicular form finding and was exhibited at the 2016 Architecture Biennale in Venice.
Welcome Robin!
The first international exposure for ACORN - it has been featured in the May edition of the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) monthly magazine PRISM…
The magazine is the Society’s flagship publication that covers engineering higher education in the United States. It is read by key decision makers within engineering education, and reaches engineering faculty members, administrators, and students in all disciplines of engineering.
You can read all about it here:
On 10th May, John and I (Paul) were joined by Tilly Langly (Arup) and Francis Aish (Foster+Partners) on a two-part visit to Laing O’Rourke’s cutting-edge off-site concrete fabrication facilities, at the kind invitation of Adam Locke.
Firstly we were given a tour of the Explore Manufacturing facility at Worksop, where three production lines create bespoke steel-reinforced concrete wall & floor units in a highly automated, highly controlled and high-throughput bespoke factory.
We then travelled to the GRCUK facility in Doncaster to see their state-of-the-art 3D concrete forming factory, where they can produce enormous doubly-curved model-board panels using 5-axis CNC milling, and then spray short-fibre reinforced concrete onto the moulds to make bespoke complex shaped concrete panels, either as permanent formwork or finished facade panels.
It was a fantastic insight into what can be (and is being) done at the moment, and sets the bar high for ACORN to make improvements on their highly optimised processes. Nevertheless, the fantastic bar-reinforced concrete wall and floor panels were all prismatic geometries, and the doubly-curved panels relied on short-fibre reinforcement, which made them less suitable for heavy-duty structural applications. So there’s still a huge opportunity for material lightweighting - everything to play for…
Our first ever press release is out - hopefully the first of many!
Read all about it here
ACORN was mentioned in The Engineer, a London-based monthly magazine and website covering the latest developments and business news in engineering and technology in the UK and internationally.
Read the article here: https://www.theengineer.co.uk/18-million-funding-construction/
UKRI’s press release revealing projects being funded in the scope of the Transforming Construction scheme, one of which was ACORN.
You can read the archived article here: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20200930161804/https:/epsrc.ukri.org/newsevents/news/constructiontransformed/
1st January 2019 and the ACORN Project has officially started!
Check back here periodically to see what the team get up to.
