i3Dc – Session S7

Rapid Construction Using Traditional Capabilities and Compatibility with New Materials

Dr. Patrick Keane
University of South Australia

Abstract: Rapid construction of structures using additive manufacturing is an area of research that has received significant attention in the last two decades. This is particularly due to the advances in desktop additive manufacturing, deployable structures, and material compatibilities/capabilities. For these reasons, conversion of existing construction equipment is worth investigating. Government agencies and private enterprise have been displaying innovative civil engineering solutions to regulatory committees. These solutions incorporate existing state of the art capabilities with widely accessible equipment. Material compatibility with these solutions will not only produce more affordable structures with comparable strengths, but also usher additive manufacturing into high temperature applications at a fraction of current costs.

Short Bio: Patrick Keane is a PhD Candidate in Energy and Advanced Manufacturing at The Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia (Australia). He has worked on large scale additive manufacturing for rapid deployment with the US Army Corps of Engineers at the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) as an Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education Fellow. During that time he helped develop, implement, and ensure a concrete mixture for 3D printing structures found on forward operating bases using teams of US Soldiers and Marines. Currently he has a provisional patent in Australia for Amorphous Self-healing Geopolymers using metakaolin-based geopolymers, glass powder, and alumina grit. Keane received his B.S. in Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a specialty in Material Science and Engineering, as well as his A.S in Organic Chemistry from Parkland College.