Emerging Opportunities Using 3D-Printed Polymer Concrete and Composites

Advancements in materials science and robotics introduced additive manufacturing, widely known as 3D printing, to the construction industry. This development has created opportunities in construction that were not possible a decade ago. In this presentation, I will discuss research investigations carried out by my research group at the University of New Mexico on developing a new generation of polymer concrete and composites that is nano-modified and 3D-printable with superior mechanical performance. I will also showcase our latest research on textile-reinforced 3D-printed concrete panels with superior crack resistance and ductility, and describe recent work on 3D-printed ductile fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites and cognizant FRP composites incorporating artificial intelligence components. I will present our latest investigations on CO2-based 3D-printable concrete with a low carbon footprint, and conclude by discussing the emerging opportunities in infrastructure, energy, and aerospace applications created using this new process.

Dr. Mahmoud Reda Taha, PE, FACI, F. ASCE, is a Distinguished Professor, Regents' Lecturer, and Chairman of the Department of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where he has worked for the last 18 years. Dr. Taha has authored and co-authored more than 350 papers in refereed journals and conference proceedings; he has ten issued and ten pending US-Patents and has advised more than 50 graduate students toward their MS and Ph.D. Dr. Taha is a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute (FACI), Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (F. ASCE), past Chairman of the ACI Committee on Polymers and Adhesives in Concrete, and current Chairman of the ACI Committee on Nanotechnology, Section Editor of ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, Secretary of the ASCE Infrastructure Resilience Division and Co-Chair of ASCE Committee on Emerging Technologies. Dr. Taha is a bridge engineer by training and has worked as a licensed professional engineer on numerous US, Canada, and worldwide projects. He has conducted extensive research on nano-modified and 3D-printed polymer concrete and composites for the last 20 years. Dr. Taha received his BS (Honors) and MS in Structural Engineering from Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, and his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Calgary, Canada, in 2000.