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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pennsylvania – When the results of the third phase of NASA's 3D Habitat Challenge printed in 3D at the beginning of May in Peoria, Illinois, Penn State did not beat its rival Friend AI SpaceFactory. At the same time, the team has come up with a breakthrough that advances research on building 3D printing and brings it closer to the goal of creating sustainable housing on Earth.
For just over two years, Penn State Den @ Mars, an interdisciplinary team made up of students and faculty representing colleges of arts and architecture, engineering and science and technology. Agriculture, and the Materials Research Institute, is participating in NASA's ambitious challenge to develop an advanced 3D printing technology to create a structurally sound habitat that can be printed by explorers. NASA on Mars and beyond. And things are going pretty well.
Second place in the final phase of Phase Three of the competition, which required the remaining two teams to print 3D habitat at a third-party scale, returned $ 200,000 to the Penn State team, his earnings at $ 500,000.
In addition to the winnings, the team received a grant from Penn State as well as in-kind contributions in the form of materials and consultations from Autodesk, Gulf Concrete Technologies and Tilcon. This support pushed the team to meet the many challenges posed by its design, including the impression of a fully enclosed structure, which has never been accomplished in research on the construction of 3D printed houses, according to Jose Duarte, president of the Stuckeman in design innovation in the college area of arts and architecture.
To learn more about how Penn State researchers are developing a 3D printed construction technology, visit impact.psu.edu.
The team's housing design includes a cylindrical base complemented by a domed roof concept that requires the robotic arm of 3D printing to add layers of pasty concrete approaching the center of the structure, creating a pointed roof that completely envelops the structure.
With nearly 200 spectators gathered at Peppers' Caterpillar Caterpillar Demonstration and Learning Center, the two teams clashed side by side for five days, culminating in the final impression of each team's structure.
AI SpaceFactory was early for much of the three days spent printing, but the last day and 18 hours. With the deadline for completing the structure close, Penn State took the lead and finished printing in just 11 minutes. In a dramatic finishing attempt, AI attempted to prematurely place the prefabricated skylight on the structure and it fell to the ground due to lack of support. The incident stunned the audience and, after an audible whisper, Penn State seemed to have control over the competition.
"The atmosphere was exciting and alive. It looked a lot like a football game, "Duarte said. "Each team was ahead at different times and we felt the pressure. But when their roof collapsed, we knew that our design, that we had not had time to test well before the final print, could be winning. "
With the pressure of the moment behind them, the members of the team took a moment to celebrate their success, knowing that their structure had marked history.
"The printing of a closed roof has never been done before," Duarte said. "It was an incredible feeling and the success really highlighted the collaborative nature of the team. We had big dreams and thanks to everyone involved, they became a reality. "
Once the structure of each team was completed, they underwent rigorous resistance tests. The habitats were hit by a small wrecking ball and eventually collapsed under the pressure of a Caterpillar backhoe that slowly leaned on top of the structures with its bucket.
Although the Penn State team has come up with a breakthrough in the field of 3D printing, AI SpaceFactory narrowly won the third phase competition and came close to winning. Even in the event of defeat, the team returned to Happy Valley a little closer to the goal: to develop a 3D home-built construction technology that could have an impact on homelessness or help rebuild areas ravaged by a natural disaster.
Mars is nearly 34 million kilometers from Earth, but the need for sustainable building on our planet is becoming increasingly important as factors such as climate change become more prevalent, according to Shadi Nazarian, Associate Professor d & # 39; architecture.
"This research undeniably has a sense of social responsibility," Nazarian said. "Imagine a region devastated by a tornado; this type of technology could be sent to this area and shelters could be immediately printed for those who have lost everything. This reflection feeds our research and seems much more achievable with our latest achievements. "
To showcase the concept, the team is working with Penn State to identify on campus an area in which a small 3D printed house could be built. Similar to the MorningStar Solar Home, the building will be fully sustainable and will offer insights into the future of home building.
As these plans develop, the team will continue its intensive research to refine NASA 's challenge design, which will resume next year.
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