Ice Formwork for Ultra-High Performance Concrete : Simulation of Ice Melting Deformations

This research project asks how we can efficiently solve structural problems with much smaller masses of concrete while maintaining the same level of cement consumption through the use of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC), degradable ice formwork, and through an active involvement of digital simulation. A survey undertaken in the recent advancements of concrete-related technologies has revealed an opportunity to propose a new concept of casting. The new method of fabrication for UHPC elements employs ice as the main material of the temporary formwork construction, involves automation of the fabrication process and solves the problems of waste material and manual labour at the demoulding stage. This casting method is being developed for cases in which unique and customized concrete elements of complex geometry are needed, e.g. topology-optimized structural elements. To impose a desirable geometry onto ice, the concept considers the use of 2.5D CNC milling operations. To minimize machining time, milling is thought to be combined with controllable melting of ice that allows achievement of a high-quality surface finish on a large scale in a very simple way. The main hypothesis of the research is that the control over melting could be possible through digital simulation, that is, the melting deformations can be pre-calculated if parameters of the material system are known.QC 20201027