Download - Application in Construction
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Application in Construction
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Why automate construction?
• Labor efficiency is alarmingly low
• Skilled workforce is vanishing
• Work quality is low
• Control of the construction site is insufficient and difficult
• Accident rate at construction sites is high (> 400,000 / year in US)
• Waste and trims are high (3 To 7 tons per average home; 40% of all materials used
worldwide are for construction)
• Low income housing and emergency shelters are critical
• Construction is the largest sector of almost all economies
• All other products are fabricated automatically – construction is still
largely a manual task
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Construction productivity decline
Labor productivity comparison for non-farm industries and construction industry developed by Paul Teicholz
Construction Productivity index
Non-farm productivity index
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Edison’s concrete houses
$175,000 for molds
More than 2000 pieces
500,000 pounds
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Automated construction in Japan
• 89 single task construction robots
• 11 different automated construction systems
Concrete Surface Treatment Robot
This robot absorbs the water which remains after concrete has been set.
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Big-Canopy high-rise pre-cast concrete construction system. Used to construct the 26 storey pre-cast concrete 30,726m2 Yachiyodai Condominium building in Japan. The system realized a 60% reduction in labor requirements for the frame erection.
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Form work cost structure
Ties
Wales
Studs
Sheathing
Concrete footing
Brace
Reinforcement
53%30%
10% 7% Formwork Labor
Concrete Materials
Formwork Materials
Concrete Labor
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
ICF Homes
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Concrete filling
Viterbi School of Engineering .
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Insulation
Viterbi School of Engineering .
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Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Construction by Contour Crafting
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
What constitutes construction cost?
Portion Due to If Automated by CC
20%-25% Financing Short project length and control of
time to market will dramatically reduce this cost
25%-30% Materials Will be a wasteless process
45%-55% Labor Will be significantly reduced
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Cavities made with CC and filled with concrete
Viterbi School of Engineering .
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Creating hollow depositions
Viterbi School of Engineering .
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Embedding Reinforcement
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A straight wall builder
Viterbi School of Engineering .
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Full scale wall sections
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Conventional and CC forms
Form tie
Concreteform
Tie washer
Sheathing Studs
Wales
Tie rod
Cone Spreader
Tie nut
Viterbi School of Engineering .
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Conventional Structure Construction
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Adobe structures – Ageless comfort and beauty
House of Brojerdi Kashan
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Interior of an Adobe house CalEarth Design
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
House made with vaults and domes
Interior of an Adobe house CalEarth Design
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Ingenious methods
Manual construction of adobe form structures using clay bricks (Source: Khalili, 2000)
A vault structure made of clay bricks (Source: Khalili, 2000)
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Free-standing Objects / Industrial parts
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Supportless structures created by CC
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Adobe house Construction
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Extraterrestrial Construction
Viterbi School of Engineering .
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Deployable CC
Viterbi School of Engineering .
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Lunar Construction
Viterbi School of Engineering .
USC
Road construction
