PROJECT. COLLABORATION. INNOVATION.
SEED FUND 2024
Tailoring Steel Fibres for 3D Printed Concrete in Civil Engineering Applications within the Irish Construction Sector
The Irish construction sector lags in productivity due to reliance on manual labor and traditional methods. 3D concrete printing (3DCP)offers a promising solution for improved construction speed, quality, safety, reduced cost, and lower embodied carbon via materialsavings. However, 3DCP faces challenges like microcracks from material shrinkage due to quick setting. These cracks may affectthe structural integrity of the printed components, but the addition of steel fibres can control them.
The aim of this project is to develop a 3DCP mix with steel fibres that can control cracking and significantly reduce embodied carbon compared to traditional construction methods by optimizing material use, enhancing structural performance, eliminating the need forformwork, and building thinner structural components. The resulting optimized 3DCP mix with steel fibres will exhibit enhanced crackresistance, structural integrity, reduced material slumping, and increased design flexibility for complex and customized shapes.
Less embodied carbon, economy, flexibility, and efficiency are expected to be achieved by 3DCP technology, ultimately contributing totransformed construction approaches in Ireland. The outcome of the project aims to advance and promote the adoption of 3DCP inconstruction domestically and globally by tackling challenges related to less embodied carbon, enhanced material properties, and structural performance.
Applicant’s name and RPO member:
Dr. Mehran Khan & Dr. Ciaran McNally – University College Dublin
Collaborators
Principal Investigator
Mehran Khan
Assistant Professor at University College Dublin
Dr. Mehran Khan is currently an Assistant Professor at University College Dublin, Ireland. His research focuses on sustainable construction materials, including 3D-printed concrete, low-carbon concrete, fiber reinforced concrete and its mechanical performance, fracture characteristics, durability, fire resistance, cracking behavior, and compressive modeling of hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete. He serves as Principal Investigator (PI) on multiple academic and industry projects related to sustainable construction. He holds various editorial roles, including Associate Editor, Guest Editor, and Editorial Board Member of several SCI journals. Additionally, he has participated in international conferences as a Speaker and Technical Committee Member.
Dr. Ciaran McNally
Associate Professor at University College Dublin
Dr Ciaran McNally is a civil engineer and obtained his PhD in 2001 for his work on alkali aggregate reaction in Irish concretes. Subsequent to that he joined the Centre for Materials and Manufacturing in UCD, where he worked as a research engineer, covering materials research, product development, process certification and technology transfer to industry. He is currently a lecturer in the School of Civil Engineering and in 2015 obtained a Professional Diploma in Teaching and Learning. To date Dr McNally has won over 2 million Euro in research funding. He has coordinated both European and national projects, including the 3.2 million Euro Marie Curie Initial Training Network TEAM (grant no 238648). His research covers a wide array of materials, including concrete, asphalt and FRP. In recent years he has extended this to include digital design and optimisation. To date, he has published over 100 peer reviewed papers.
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