Critical Assessment of a Selected Structural Engineering

Critical Assessment of a Selected Structural Engineering
Component to be Enhanced by a Future Manufacturing Concept
Module Title: Future and Advanced Manufacturing Materials and Technologies
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................3
2. Improvement of Beam using the Future Manufacturing Concept of Additive Manufacturing...4
2.1 Role of Beam as a Structural Engineering Component in Construction Industry.................4
2.2 Justification for the Use of Additive Manufacturing in Improving the Structural
Component of Beam....................................................................................................................6
2.3 Different Additive Manufacturing Techniques for Improving the Structural Component of
Beam............................................................................................................................................7
2.4 Implementation Plan for the Adoption of Additive Manufacturing for Structural
Component Improvement............................................................................................................9
2.5 Benefits and Challenges Faced during Using the Additive Manufacturing in Improving the
Structural Component of Beam.................................................................................................10
2.6 Barriers Faced During the Adoption of Additive Manufacturing in Improving the
Structural Component................................................................................................................11
2.7 Adoption of Strategies for Overcoming the Barriers in Additive Manufacturing
Implementation..........................................................................................................................12
3. Conclusion.................................................................................................................................13
References......................................................................................................................................14
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1. Introduction
The following coursework would discuss the idea of future manufacturing concepts and their
importance in improving the performance of the structural engineering component selected. The
structural engineering component chosen for the following study is a beam from the construction
industry (Duggal et al., 2022). The beam is considered to be an important structural component
in the construction process. In order to improve the performance of the selected structural
component, the area of strength and service life would be improved using the future
manufacturing concept. The future manufacturing concept that would be used for the following
enhancement is additive manufacturing. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is considered to be the
pillar of Industry 4.0 from the future manufacturing concept. Through the use of additive
manufacturing, the materials are being deposited layer by layer using the model of computer-
aided design in order to form a complex shape successfully (Lucke et al., 2019). Hence it can be
said that additive manufacturing helps in carrying out complex projects and also improves the
efficiency and performance of the project. The benefits of using the technique of additive
manufacturing is its waste minimization and fast prototyping property. The additive
manufacturing technique has the potential to improve the performance of the structural
engineering component of the beam. Various industries such as aerospace, electronics, defense,
biomedical, etc. are rapidly adopting AM but the construction industry is in the development
stage of AM adoption (Chen et al., 2020). The adoption of the AM would be helpful in
streamlining the beam connections and optimization of the stress distribution for the beams.
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2. Improvement of Beam using the Future Manufacturing Concept of Additive
Manufacturing
The structural component of the beam would be enhanced from the context of performance using
the future manufacturing concept of additive manufacturing. With the use of the additive
manufacturing concept, the structural component can be precisely modeled as well as placed in
the optimal locations (Paolini, Kollmannsberger and Rank, 2019). It would also be helpful in
determining the usage of the materials without compromising important factors such as load
bearing capacity, etc. The construction industry states to have a considerable impact on the
environment. It is responsible for the usage of 36% of global energy annually and the emission
of 39% emission of carbon dioxide. The adoption of the additive manufacturing concept can also
lead to ecological benefits such as carbon mitigation (Lucke et al., 2019). The adoption of the
AM concept in the construction industry has been observed to be low compared to the other
industries despite the advantages imposed.
2.1 Role of Beam as a Structural Engineering Component in Construction Industry
The beam in the construction industry is mainly responsible for resisting the loads that are
applied to the structure laterally to the axis. The following structural component of the
construction industry is designed for carrying the lateral load (Ly et al., 2020). There are
different classifications of the beam based on the type, such as simply supported, fixed beam,
overhanging, cantilever, etc. The purpose of the following structural component is to transfer
loads of the structure from the slab to the columns. Hence it can be stated that it is used for the
transferring of the load from one structure to another. The application of the beam in the
construction industry varies in a wide range that is from use in platforms to bridges, commercial
buildings, etc (Naderpour and Mirrashid, 2019). Based on the materials used for the beam
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construction can be of different types, such as reinforced concrete beams, steel beams, timber
beams, etc.
Figure.1: Reinforced Concrete Beam
(Source: Duggal et al., 2022)
The figure 1, given in the section above, gives an overview of the structure of a beam. The
strength and service life of the beam plays a significant role in improving the overall
performance of the project. The adoption of the advanced engineering and manufacturing
techniques is recommended for the improvement of performance (Chen et al., 2020). It also
helps the companies to gain a competitive advantage due to the high competition rate. The
technology advances create a positive impact on the development of new materials or enhancing
the existing material. The average cost involved in manufacturing and installing a steel beam is
about $2,851 and maximum it can be about $10,000.
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2.2 Justification for the Use of Additive Manufacturing in Improving the Structural
Component of Beam
As already discussed in the above section, the structural component of the beam is an important
part of the construction industry. In order to improve the performance of the industry, it is
necessary to enhance the technologies through the adoption of future engineering concepts. The
concept of additive manufacturing focuses on transforming the process from analogue to digital
(Paolini, Kollmannsberger and Rank, 2019). Through additive manufacturing, digital efficiency
and flexibility can be introduced in the manufacturing of the structural component of the beam.
The manufacturing process of the beam is considered to be very complex and challenging in the
construction industry. The using of the AM concept in the manufacturing of structural
component of beam would be helpful in eliminating the defects. It would help in better
manufacturing of the complex shaped component.
Figure.2: Manufacturing Process for Beam
(Source: Ly et al., 2020)
The figure above shows the process involved in manufacturing the flange beam. In order to
manufacture the beam, the process of rolling, also known as caliber rolling is involved. The
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following step is basically conducted in the phase of roughing in beam formation. The use of the
additive manufacturing concept during the manufacturing of beams helps in improving the
efficiency of the beams by improving their strength and service life (Wrobel and Mecrow, 2020).
The AM technology helps uses an international standard (ISO/ASTM) that helps in
differentiating the AM concept from the conventional technique of manufacturing. The additive
manufacturing process can be used in the application of cement and metallic structures. It would
be helpful in developing cheaper projects with a minimal generation of waste materials from the
construction sector (Naderpour and Mirrashid, 2019). These are the reasons for which the
additive manufacturing concept is being recommended for the improvement of the structural
engineering component.
2.3 Different Additive Manufacturing Techniques for Improving the Structural
Component of Beam
In order to transform the construction industry, there are various additive manufacturing
techniques that beam manufacturing companies can adopt. Techniques such as material
extrusion, powder bed fusion, binder jetting, and directed energy deposition are some of the
well-known approaches to the additive manufacturing concept (Pasco, Lei and Aranas Jr, 2022).
The manufacturing of the beam is mainly based on steel or concrete. The techniques of material
extrusion are focused on the concrete extrusion manufacturing of beams. It helps in balancing the
buildability and printability during the process of printing. During the process of fabrication,
instability can lead to weakness zones in the extruded material. The technique of contour crafting
is used for scrapping based on computer control (Shakor et al., 2019). Through the following
process, the surface of the concrete-based beams can be made smooth. It helps in improving the
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geometric accuracy of the component and thus understanding the behavior of the material during
the manufacturing process.
Figure.3: Process of Particle Based AM Process
(Source: Duggal et al., 2022)
The technique of concrete printing is mainly used for the components of walls and panels
comprising the functional voids. The concrete with 3D printable cement materials shows the
properties of compressive strength, rheology, and printability. The design of the mixture
establishes a crucial design factor for improved performance. The particle bed process focuses on
3D concrete printing by depositing the layers of the binding fluid and dry particles (Paolini,
Kollmannsberger and Rank, 2019). The technique of directed energy deposition results in
delivering and melting the feed materials with the help of a thermal source. The thermal sources
used in the following process are plasma arc, electron beam, and laser. The appliances of AM
concept used for the steel structures are state of the art, wire arc additive manufacturing and
power bed fusion. Such methods can be adopted for enhancing the performance of the
engineering components of steel beams.
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2.4 Implementation Plan for the Adoption of Additive Manufacturing for Structural
Component Improvement
In order to adopt the additive manufacturing concepts for the improvement of the structural
engineering components that have been chosen for the study, the following process needs to be
considered. The input considerations of the implementation plan are cost and material
considerations (Duggal et al., 2022). It is important to estimate the cost impact upon the
manufacturing of the component for the AM technologies before the process of adoption. The
concept of material consideration helps in the optimization of material delivery and product
geometry and thus maintaining dimensional accuracy. Through considering the following facts,
the actual structural properties can be analyzed from the context of the target model of the
component. In order to implement additive manufacturing successfully, the following framework
can be adopted:
 Testing the performance of the cementitious blends to ensure the quality of the
component (Liu et al., 2022). By providing a standardized guideline, the requirements of
the component can be met successfully by using the additive manufacturing concept.
 Following a production line breakdown along with a value stream mapping. Through the
adoption of a framework combining the concepts of manufacturing production line, lean
production for acquiring an economic advantage (Bhardwaj et al., 2019). The use of the
value stream mapping would be helpful in diagnosing the process enhancement and
recommending opportunities along the production line.
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 Ensuring the potential impact of additive manufacturing upon the factor of sustainability
in processing (Duggal et al., 2022). AM focuses on curtailing resources and energy
requirements through a highly tailored and low material volume.
 Adopting the life cycle analysis tool for highlighting the beneficial impact on the
environment. The life cycle analysis is used to investigate the suitability of AM from the
pretext of the structural engineering component.
2.5 Benefits and Challenges Faced during Using the Additive Manufacturing in Improving
the Structural Component of Beam
The use of additive manufacturing for the improvement of the structural component of the beam
would be beneficial in various aspects (Bhardwaj et al., 2019). It would be resulted in improving
the manufacturing process through the use of the latest and digitalized technologies. The benefits
that can be achieved are:
 The issue of shortage of labor supplies can be eliminated, and the labor-intensive
repeated task can be eliminated.
 It would also help in the reduction of labor costs, and the efficiency of work management
can be improved (Liu et al., 2022).
 Human errors can be eliminated from the process.
 Up to 20% reduction in lead time and 15% savings in work hours can be achieved.
 Better quality control can be ensured in the process.
 The manufacturing process can be made more environmentally sustainable.
The challenges that can be faced during the implementation of additive manufacturing for the
enhancement of the structural component are:
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 The change in the designs can be adopted late by the industry due to the resistance faced
by the employees and staff (Al Rashid et al., 2020).
 There is a chance of uncertainty and technical risks regarding the performance of the
enhanced component.
 It would result in the rise of unemployment.
2.6 Barriers Faced During the Adoption of Additive Manufacturing in Improving the
Structural Component
The industry faces a large number of barriers when it comes to adopting a new age technology.
Most of the time, it is observed that the members are comfortable using the old technologies and
technologies (Hamidi and Aslani, 2019). In such cases, the employees resist the changes.
Resistance from the team member is considered to be one of the most critical barriers. In
implementing the additive manufacturing for the structural component, certain barriers can be
faced by the individuals bringing the change. The different barriers that can be faced are:
Ethical Barriers: The ethical barriers are mainly faced due to the lack of human oversight and
transparency in the complex environment (Shah et al., 2019). The presence of ethical barriers
results in a negative impact on the deployment process and system design.
Technical Barriers: The lack of technically advanced infrastructure results in technical barriers.
Organizational Regulation Challenges: In order to carry out an important change, it is
important to have a proper regulation for stimulating the change across the firm successfully.
The absence of a proper regulation results in arising of challenges.
Security Barriers: The cyber security concern is one of the major barrier faced by the
companies implementing additive manufacturing (Durakovic, 2018). The approach of 3D
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printing used in AM is vulnerable to the cyber attacks and threats. There is a high risk that the
important data can be stolen or tampered and thus compromising the intellectual property.
Public Acceptance: Before implementing any change, it is important to ensure that the people
accept the change. If the public fails to accept the specific change, the new process is considered
a failure.
2.7 Adoption of Strategies for Overcoming the Barriers in Additive Manufacturing
Implementation
The presence of barriers in a process might lead to the failure of the overall approach. During the
implementation of additive manufacturing for the improvement of the structural component of
beam, it is possible that the following barriers can be faced (Hamidi and Aslani, 2019). It should
be made sure that proper measures should be adopted the elimination the barriers to the process.
Firstly it is important to follow the proper implementation plan so that the technical and ethical
barriers can be eliminated. Secondly, it is important to give proper training to the staff so that the
importance of enhancing the structural component can be conveyed. Training to improve the
skills of the staff is also important so that the developed component can be used without any
technical errors. The security of the process needs to be improved so that the ethical barriers to
the process can be eliminated. The security barriers to the process can be solved by adopting
cyber security tools and strategies. The adoption of standardization is considered to be very
important for eliminating the technical barriers to the process. The ASTM/ISO framework of
additive manufacturing helps in providing standards for the process of manufacturing (AMFG,
2020). Certification and standardization help in meeting the strict requirements for the structural
component of the beam, such as the dimensions, material used, etc. It would also help in
eliminating the barrier of public acceptance by building confidence among the people. The
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adoption of the following strategies would be helpful in overcoming the barriers faced during the
implementation of the additive manufacturing concept.
3. Conclusion
The coursework has successfully discussed the important aspects related to the concept of
additive manufacturing. The implementation of the concept for enhancing the performance of the
structural component of the beam has been focused on discussing the importance of the beam
structure in the construction industry. The implementation of the AM concept would be helpful
in analyzing the properties of materials and had also discussed the characterization of concrete.
The study has also focused on identifying the challenges and benefits that can be acquired
through the process of additive manufacturing.
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