Functionally Graded Concrete Building System – Design, Optimisation, Digital Production and Reuse | Cluster of Excellence Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture (IntCDC)

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FUNCTIONALLY GRADED CONCRETE BUILDING SYSTEM – DESIGN, OPTIMISATION, DIGITAL PRODUCTION AND REUSE

Based on the outcomes of the first funding period, this project focuses on the further development of the functionally graded concrete (FGC) building system aiming towards a more drastic reduc- tion of natural resource consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and waste volume. The strategy is based on the application of recycling and reuse as the core principles of the circular economy, as well as through the extension of digital design and automated fabrication methods.

Currently, the major part of concrete waste from the demolition of buildings is downcycled for use in road construction [27]. Through the use of recycled aggregates in concrete mixtures a closed recycling loop can be established. To enlarge its application, mixture designs for eco-self-com- pacting concrete (ECO-SCC) using recycled aggregates and alternative binders will be investi- gated for use in functionally graded concrete components. The challenge of maintaining the re- quired characteristics for such altered Mix-Designs will be addressed by implementing inherent observation and control methods during production.

Extending the principle of a closed-loop from the material to the component level, the research will focus on segmented and demountable functionally graded concrete slabs. This approach allows for a slab system in which elements can be recovered after selective dismantling of struc- tures and subsequently be reused elsewhere.

Further, the digital design and fabrication processes will be extended. This comprises an auto- mated production process for weight-optimised components by the implementation of a digital casting technology with simulative and experimental investigations. Moreover, a design tool for the preliminary design and detailed structural analysis of functionally graded concrete slabs will be established. The tool will be complemented by interfaces to the holistic quality assessment as well as to the automated production of functionally graded concrete components.

^{[27] A. Rosen, “Urban Mining Index: Entwicklung einer Systematik zur quantitativen Bewertung der Kreislaufkonsistenz von Baukonstruktionen in der Neubauplanung,” Dissertation, Stuttgart, 2021.}

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Lucio Blandini
Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (ILEK), University of Stuttgart
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Garrecht
Institute of Construction Materials (IWB), University of Stuttgart
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h.c. Oliver Sawodny
Institute for System Dynamics (ISYS), University of Stuttgart

TEAM

Dr.-Ing. Walter Haase (ILEK)
Benedikt Strahm (ILEK)
Carl Haufe (ILEK)
David Nigl (ILEK)
Alexander Teichmann (IWB)
Boris Blagojevic (ISYS)

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

2023
1. Blagojevic, B., & Sawodny, O. (2023). Path Planning for Graded Concrete Element Fabrication. Construction Robotics.
  - BibTeX
  BibTeX
  @article{blagojevic2023planning, author = {Blagojevic, Boris and Sawodny, Oliver}, journal = {Construction Robotics}, title = {Path Planning for Graded Concrete Element Fabrication}, year = 2023 }
2022
1. Blandini, L. (2022). Lightweight and Sustainable Concrete Structures: The ILEK Research Strategy. Proceedings of the Fib International Congress 2022 in Oslo, Norway.
  - BibTeX
  BibTeX
  @inproceedings{blandini2022lightweight, author = {Blandini, L.}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the fib International Congress 2022 in Oslo, Norway}, title = {Lightweight and Sustainable Concrete Structures: The ILEK Research Strategy}, year = 2022 }
2. Frost, D., Gericke, O., Di Bari, R., Balangé, L., Zhang, L., Blagojevic, B., Nigl, D., Haag, P., Blandini, L., Jünger, H. C., Kropp, C., Leistner, P., Sawodny, O., Schwieger, V., & Sobek, W. (2022). Holistic Quality Model and Assessment—Supporting Decision-Making towards Sustainable Construction Using the Design and Production of Graded Concrete Components as an Example. Sustainability, 14(18), Article 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811269
  - BibTeX
  BibTeX
  @article{su141811269, abstract = {This paper describes a holistic quality model (HQM) and assessment to support decision-making processes in construction. A graded concrete slab serves as an example to illustrate how to consider technical, environmental, and social quality criteria and their interrelations. The evaluation of the design and production process of the graded concrete component shows that it has advantages compared to a conventional solid slab, especially in terms of environmental performance. At the same time, the holistic quality model identifies potential improvements for the technology of graded concrete. It will be shown that the holistic quality model can be used to (a) consider the whole life cycle in decision-making in the early phases and, thus, make the complexity of construction processes manageable for quality and sustainability assessments and (b) make visible interdependencies between different quality and sustainability criteria, to help designers make better-informed decisions regarding the overall quality. The results show how different quality aspects can be assessed and trade-offs are also possible through the understanding of the relationships among characteristics. For this purpose, in addition to the quality assessment of graded concrete, an overview of the interrelations of different quality characteristics is provided. While this article demonstrates how a HQM can support decision-making in design, the validity of the presented evaluation is limited by the data availability and methodological challenges, specifically regarding the quantification of interrelations.}, article-number = {11269}, author = {Frost, Deniz and Gericke, Oliver and Di Bari, Roberta and Balangé, Laura and Zhang, Li and Blagojevic, Boris and Nigl, David and Haag, Phillip and Blandini, Lucio and Jünger, Hans Christian and Kropp, Cordula and Leistner, Philip and Sawodny, Oliver and Schwieger, Volker and Sobek, Werner}, doi = {10.3390/su141811269}, issn = {2071-1050}, journal = {Sustainability}, number = 18, title = {Holistic Quality Model and Assessment—Supporting Decision-Making towards Sustainable Construction Using the Design and Production of Graded Concrete Components as an Example}, url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/18/11269}, volume = 14, year = 2022 }
3. Gericke, O., Blandini, L., & Sobek, W. (2022). Rigid Implant Connections for Thin-Walled Concrete Beams. Proceedings of the Fib International Congress 2022 in Oslo, Norway.
  - BibTeX
  BibTeX
  @inproceedings{gericke2022rigid, author = {Gericke, O. and Blandini, L. and Sobek, W.}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the fib International Congress 2022 in Oslo, Norway}, title = {Rigid Implant Connections for Thin-Walled Concrete Beams}, year = 2022 }
4. Miller, O., Gericke, O., Nigl, D., Kovaleva, D., & Blandini, L. (2022). Simulation-Based Investigations of the Load-Bearing Behavior of Concrete Hollow Sphere Slabs Exposed to Fire. Fire, 5(6), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/fire5060197
  - BibTeX
  BibTeX
  @article{fire5060197, abstract = {This paper concerns the investigations of the flexural capacity of concrete slabs with integrated concrete hollow spheres that are subjected to fire and their mass saving potential compared to solid slabs. (1) Background: The overuse of concrete in construction contributes considerably to global CO2 emissions; therefore, the potential for mass reduction in structural components must be fully exploited. However, the design regulations for weight-minimized components, particularly slabs with internal voids, are often not explicitly covered by standards, such as the fire design standard relevant to this paper. (2) Methods: Based on the design guidelines for statically determinate structures in Eurocode 2-2 and DIN 4102-4, a solid slab and a concrete slab with concrete hollow spheres are designed and evaluated with regard to their weight and flexural capacity when subjected to fire. The temperature profiles within the slab cross-section exposed to fire are simulated using ABAQUS finite element software, considering the physically nonlinear, temperature-dependent material behavior of concrete and steel. Using these results, the strain distribution corresponding to the maximum flexural moment is iteratively determined at the weakest cross-section, which exhibits the largest void. (3) Results: All components show sufficient flexural capacity for the target fire duration of 90 min. (4) Conclusion: In the context of this study, the design guidelines according to Eurocode 2-2 and DIN 4102-4 are proven to be fully applicable also for concrete hollow sphere slabs.}, article-number = {197}, author = {Miller, Olga and Gericke, Oliver and Nigl, David and Kovaleva, Daria and Blandini, Lucio}, doi = {10.3390/fire5060197}, issn = {2571-6255}, journal = {Fire}, number = 6, title = {Simulation-Based Investigations of the Load-Bearing Behavior of Concrete Hollow Sphere Slabs Exposed to Fire}, url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/5/6/197}, volume = 5, year = 2022 }
5. Nigl, D., Gericke, O., Blandini, L., & Sobek, W. (2022). Numerical investigations on the biaxial load-bearing behaviour of graded concrete slabs. Proceedings of the Fib International Congress 2022 in Oslo, Norway.
  - BibTeX
  BibTeX
  @inproceedings{nigl2022numerical, author = {Nigl, D. and Gericke, O. and Blandini, L. and Sobek, W.}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the fib International Congress 2022 in Oslo, Norway}, title = {Numerical investigations on the biaxial load-bearing behaviour of graded concrete slabs}, year = 2022 }
2021
1. Yang, Y., Balangé, L., Gericke, O., Schmeer, D., Zhang, L., Sobek, W., & Schwieger, V. (2021). Monitoring of the Production Process of Graded Concrete Component Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning. Remote Sensing, 13(9), Article 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13091622
  - BibTeX
  BibTeX
  @article{rs13091622, abstract = {Accepting the ecological necessity of a drastic reduction of resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the building industry, the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (ILEK) at the University of Stuttgart is developing graded concrete components with integrated concrete hollow spheres. These components weigh a fraction of usual conventional components while exhibiting the same performance. Throughout the production process of a component, the positions of the hollow spheres and the level of the fresh concrete have to be monitored with high accuracy and in close to real-time, so that the quality and structural performance of the component can be guaranteed. In this contribution, effective solutions of multiple sphere detection and concrete surface modeling based on the technology of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) during the casting process are proposed and realized by the Institute of Engineering Geodesy (IIGS). A complete monitoring concept is presented to acquire the point cloud data fast and with high-quality. The data processing method for multiple sphere segmentation based on the efficient combination of region growing and random sample consensus (RANSAC) exhibits great performance on computational efficiency and robustness. The feasibility and reliability of the proposed methods are verified and evaluated by an experiment monitoring the production of an exemplary graded concrete component. Some suggestions to improve the monitoring performance and relevant future work are given as well.}, article-number = {1622}, author = {Yang, Yihui and Balangé, Laura and Gericke, Oliver and Schmeer, Daniel and Zhang, Li and Sobek, Werner and Schwieger, Volker}, doi = {10.3390/rs13091622}, issn = {2072-4292}, journal = {Remote Sensing}, number = 9, title = {Monitoring of the Production Process of Graded Concrete Component Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning}, url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/9/1622}, volume = 13, year = 2021 }

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

2020
1. Alhamdani, I. A. H. (2020). Investigation of the web layout in thin-walled hollow core slabs made from carbon fibre reinforced concrete.
  - BibTeX
  BibTeX
  @mastersthesis{alhamdani2020investigation, author = {Alhamdani, Ibrahim Auday Hattem}, title = {Investigation of the web layout in thin-walled hollow core slabs made from carbon fibre reinforced concrete}, year = 2020 }
2. Sahin, A. (2020). Investigations on transferring tensile forces out of thin-walled concrete components.
  - BibTeX
  BibTeX
  @mastersthesis{sahin2020investigations, author = {Sahin, Aziz}, title = {Investigations on transferring tensile forces out of thin-walled concrete components}, year = 2020 }
3. Trunzer, P. (2020). Investigation on modular sand formwork for the waste-free production of concrete components.
  - BibTeX
  BibTeX
  @mastersthesis{trunzer2020investigation, author = {Trunzer, Pia}, title = {Investigation on modular sand formwork for the waste-free production of concrete components}, year = 2020 }
4. Vorholzer, M. (2020). Investigations of connections and supports of concrete slabs in multi-storey buildings with regard to resulting mass saving potentials.
  - BibTeX
  BibTeX
  @mastersthesis{vorholzer2020investigations, author = {Vorholzer, Marie}, title = {Investigations of connections and supports of concrete slabs in multi-storey buildings with regard to resulting mass saving potentials}, year = 2020 }
5. Yang, Y. (2020). Investigation for position determination of hollow sphere integrated in concrete components during component production.
  - BibTeX
  BibTeX
  @mastersthesis{yang2020investigation, annote = {Examiner: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Volker Schwieger. Supervisor: Dr.-Ing. L i Zhang, Dipl.-Ing. Oliver Gericke, M.Sc. Laura Balangé}, author = {Yang, Yihui}, note = {Master Thesis at Institute of Engineering Geodesy (Institut für Ingenieurgeodäsie Stuttgart) in cooperation with Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (Institut für Leichtbau Entwerfen und Konstruieren)}, school = {University of Stuttgart}, title = {Investigation for position determination of hollow sphere integrated in concrete components during component production}, year = 2020 }
6. Zhang, H. (2020). Development of an implant for the optimised support of prefabricated slabs made of fibre-reinforced concrete.
  - BibTeX
  BibTeX
  @mastersthesis{zhang2020development, author = {Zhang, Hang}, title = {Development of an implant for the optimised support of prefabricated slabs made of fibre-reinforced concrete}, year = 2020 }

DATA SETS

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Lucio Blandini

Principal Investigator

Phone: +49 711 685 61760

E-Mail

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Garrecht

Principal Investigator

Phone: +49 711 685 63323

E-Mail

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Habil. Dr. h.c. Oliver Sawodny

Board of Directors

Phone: +49 711 685 66302

E-Mail