Recycling Large-Scale 3 D-Printed Polymer Composite Precast Concrete Forms (2.18)

Large-scale thermoplastic composite extrusion-based 3D printing has been used in research labs and is moving into industry. One significant use of large-scale 3D printing has been to make forms for manufacturing precast concrete parts. Once the forms have been used for casting concrete parts, there is an opportunity to reuse the material and recycle the thermoplastic composite. Ideally, the 3D printed thermoplastic composite can be recycled into feedstock pellets that can be used again for 3D printing newer parts. However, the process of recycling 3D printed concrete forms is not well-established. Efficient ways of removing debris, cutting the 3D printed parts into smaller pieces, and pelletizing need to be figured out. The degradation in material properties with each recycling needs to be characterized and if necessary, a suitable ratio of a mix between virgin and recycled polymer needs to be determined. The cost of recycling needs to be evaluated and compared to the cost of the 3D-printed material.

• Record URL:
  https://tidc.umaine.edu/tidc_project/2-18-umaine/

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $328615
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551847101

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center

  University of Maine
  Orono, ME  United States  04469
• Managing Organizations:

  Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center

  University of Maine
  Orono, ME  United States  04469

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Dunn, Denise

• Performing Organizations:

  Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center

  University of Maine
  Orono, ME  United States  04469
• Principal Investigators:

  Lopez-Anido, Roberto

  Bhandari, Sunil

  Wang, Lu

• Start Date: 20210101
• Expected Completion Date: 20240831
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Composite materials; Composite structures; Forming; Precast concrete; Recycled materials; Thermoplastic materials; Three dimensional printing
• Subject Areas: Construction; Environment; Materials; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01851441
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551847101
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jul 15 2022 3:08PM