Nowadays, construction industry is rapidly moving towards digitalization and automation that should enable increased rates and efficiency of construction processes, as well as higher possibilities for customization and architectural freedom. Among all technologies under development, digital fabrication with concrete by means of layered extrusion appears to be one of the most promising for purposes of fast mass housing construction. It enables formwork-free production of structures via layer-by-layer concrete printing. Freedom from formwork potentially makes the construction process more cost- and time-saving, but poses multiple challenges to mix design and test methods, especially in terms of concrete rheology. A special focus must be put on the structural build-up of concrete at rest, which is related to its buildability, i.e. capacity of the material to retain the shape of the extruded layers under their own weight and the weight of the subsequently placed layers. This research investigates into the structural build-up of cementitious materials, i.e. evolution of their strength and deformation properties over time at rest, and includes development and refinement of methodology to assess the structural build-up, as well as its modelling and prediction. With respect to methodology, major attention was directed to the constant rotational velocity (CRV) test used for evaluation of the static yield stress development, and rationalization of its application under field conditions. Based on a large amount of experiments performed with two rheometers of different design, characteristic curves and points describing patterns in behaviour of cementitious materials during a CRV test were established. The experimental study also dealt with assessing the effects of alterations in main elements of the CRV test protocol, such as test approach (single- versus multi-batch), pre-shear regime, applied CRV, on the test results. Possible errors in CRV tests were addressed and methods to improve the procedures of testing and data evaluation were suggested. In particular, the single-batch approach was enhanced by implementation of the developed breaking criterion, a concept of zero measurement for non-pre-sheared samples was introduced, and a method for simplified evaluation of elasticity by a single-head rheometer was proposed. General methodological recommendations on the design of a CRV test protocol were formulated. The results are applicable for various cementitious materials and not limited to concretes for layered extrusion. Furthermore, test methods for assessing the structural build-up of printable concretes were studied in terms of their applicability under field conditions, potential for automation, descriptiveness of obtained data and efficiency in predicting the buildability of printed concrete structures. The methods under investigation included CRV test, unconfined uniaxial compression test (UUCT), fast penetration test and newly proposed confined uniaxial compression test (CUCT); all tests were performed on extruded samples of eight printable concrete mixtures with various compositions and rheological properties. The corresponding results were juxtaposed in order to establish correlations between the data and compared to the results of buildability tests, in which hollow cylindrical structures were produced using a laboratory-scale 3D printer. The developed methodology was further used to conduct an in-depth investigation into the influence of aggregates on the structural build-up of ordinary concrete. In the experimental program, the binder composition was kept constant while the aggregate was varied in terms of the volume fraction and the surface area (per unit volume of concrete); the main focus was put on compositions with elevated aggregate content (45−55 % by volume). A mechanism lying behind the effects of the aggregate properties on the structural build-up of concrete was discovered by studying the structure of constitutive paste in concrete. Aggregate-induced inhomogeneity of constitutive paste allowed to introduce a three-component model of fresh concrete. Furthermore, to find models capable of predicting the parameters of structural build-up of concrete, i.e. static yield stress and structuration rate, concrete was viewed as a suspension of aggregate particles in suspending medium. Three approaches were employed to define the correspondent components. Suspending medium was represented by plain cement paste, screened cement paste and fine mortar considered as a part of concrete comprising particles below 0.5 mm; a substantiation for such a definition was provided. Applicability and limitations of the models based on all three approaches were compared. The modelling approach was further extended to printable concretes with nearly identical aggregate compositions, but different properties of paste. Opportunities and challenges in modelling the structural build-up of printable concrete, including the problem of material dependency of the models and the relevancy of fitting coefficients, were discussed. A modified Chateau-Ovarlez-Trung model based on the definition of suspending medium as fine mortar was acknowledged as best suited to describe the structural build-up of both ordinary and printable concrete.

Background: Sophisticated guided surgery has not been implemented into total joint replacement-surgery (TJR) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) so far. Design and in-house manufacturing of a new advanced drilling guide with vector and length control for a typical TJR fossa component are described in this in vitro study, and its accuracy/utilization was evaluated and compared with those of intraoperative real-time navigation and already available standard drilling guides. Methods: Skull base segmentations of five CT-datasets from different patients were used to design drilling guides with vector and length control according to virtual surgical planning (VSP) for the TJR of the TMJ. Stereolithographic models of the skull bases were printed three times for each case. Three groups were formed to compare our newly designed advanced drilling guide with a standard drilling guide and drill-tracking by real-time navigation. The deviation of screw head position, screw length and vector in the lateral skull base have been evaluated (n = 72). Results: There was no difference in the screw head position between all three groups. The deviation of vector and length was significantly lower with the use of the advanced drilling guide compared with standard guide and navigation. However, no benefit in terms of accuracy on the lateral skull base by the use of real-time navigation could be observed. Conclusion: Since guided surgery is standard in implant dentistry and other CMF reconstructions, this new approach can be introduced into clinical practice soon, in order to increase accuracy and patient safety.

More-than-human design represents a paradigm shift that decentralises the human in relation to the rest of the living world. As part of this movement, scholars call for a new worldview that recognizes the interconnectedness between human and non-human beings. Prior studies have focused on the experience of human-human connections, leaving the more- than-human largely unexplored. Addressing this gap, this study explores design strategies for fostering feelings and reflections of interconnectedness towards the more-than-human world and associated emotions. With a research-through-design methodology, two workshops were conducted, resulting in six key design strategies and an "interconnectedness experience framework". The strategies were evaluated through a prototype in partnership with AquaPrint, a Swedish company that up-cycles fishing nets into designer furniture. Future research should evaluate the strategies individually and in combinations as well as in a field setting. The presented framework and strategies are intended for practitioners as inspiration in design projects to promote noticing the more-than-human world, and encouraging a posthuman perspective.

<p>    An all-additive manufacturing technique was developed to print piezoelectrically active polymeric materials, primarily poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVdF), for use in pressure sensors in soft robotics. The research proceeded in three stages. The initial stage used Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and electric poling independently to create piezoelectric PVdF pressure sensors. The second stage merged FDM and electric poling processes. The third stage introduced electrospinning to create flexible, high-output piezoelectric PVdF materials, which were combined with three-dimensional (3D) printed soft structures for stretchable pressure sensors.</p> <p>    The main achievement of the research was the development of the Electric Poling-assisted Additive Manufacturing (EPAM) technique, combining electric poling and FDM 3D printing to print piezoelectric materials with custom structures at lower costs. β-phase in semicrystalline PVdF materials is mainly responsible for piezoelectricity. A higher β-phase content results in superior sensor performance. This technique was evaluated by measuring the piezoelectric output voltage of the printed PVdF films, and β-phase content was quantified using Fourier-transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The developed EPAM technique was combined with Direct Ink Writing (DIW), becoming a hybrid 3D printing technique. This is the first demonstration of applying a hybrid printing technique to print piezoelectric PVdF-based sensors directly. The sensor was constructed using FDM printed PVdF film as the dielectric sandwiched between two parallel DIW printed silver electrodes. The PVdF sensors have both piezoelectric pressure sensing and capacitive temperature sensing functionalities. The application of the capacitive temperature sensor was demonstrated by applying heating-and-cooling cycles while measuring the capacitance as a function of temperature at a constant frequency, showing improved sensitivities at higher frequencies (i.e., 105 Hz) after dielectric polarization.</p> <p>    The third stage of research was motivated by the need for soft piezoelectric pressure sensors for soft robotics. Challenges were twofold: requiring soft piezoelectric materials with high coefficients for excellent sensors and fabrication techniques to incorporate soft materials into designed structures. Inspired by the EPAM technique, a method combining electrospinning and DIW was used to create soft piezoelectric PVdF/thermal plastic polyurethane (TPU) blend microfiber-based pressure sensors. The soft sensor was integrated with an FDM printed soft structure for a stretchable pressure sensor with both piezoelectric sensing and capacitive sensing mechanisms.</p>

Les dispositifs optoélectroniques sont devenus un élément essentiel de la technologie moderne visant à exploiter des applications de niche pour l'électronique flexible à base de composés organiques. Jusqu'à présent, les films minces préparés à partir de composés polymères conjugués ont été les principaux concurrents pour les dispositifs optoélectroniques organiques. Avec l'apparition de nouvelles méthodes de mise en œuvre et de nouveaux besoins électroniques, les méthodes de fabrication additive des matériaux optoélectroniques suscitent de plus en plus d'intérêt. Malgré l'intérêt croissant et la variété des méthodes de mise en œuvre tridimensionnelles, on comprend encore mal l'impact de la technique de mise en œuvre sur l'organisation moléculaire des échantillons. Ici, une étude est présentée impliquant l’impression 3D assistée par évaporation de solvant et le poly(3-hexylthiophène) (P3HT) qui est bien décrit dans la littérature, et, dans ce cas-ci, mélangé à diverses matrices thermoplastiques. Dans un premier temps, les matrices thermoplastiques employées, i.e. le polystyrène (PS), le polypropylène carbonate (PPC), le polyméthacrylate de méthyle (PMMA) et le polyoxyéthylène (PEO) sont évaluées en fonction de leurs propriétés rhéologiques et de leur imprimabilité en 3D, qui ne sont que très peu affectées par l'introduction du P3HT. Par la suite, le P3HT à régiorégularité élevée et faible est mélangé dans chacune des matrices thermoplastiques. L'organisation moléculaire des deux composantes dans les architectures imprimées a été évaluée par des techniques de spectroscopie UV-visible et de fluorescence. Les phases en présence ont été analysées à l'aide d’analyse calorimétrique différentielle à balayage, de microscopie optique polarisée et de diffraction des rayons X, ce qui a également permis d'analyser l'état d'agrégation du P3HT par rapport à celui retrouvé dans les films minces. Il est intéressant de noter que les propriétés optiques montrent peu ou pas de différence entre les architectures 3D et les films minces, ce qui indique vraisemblablement que l'efficacité d'un dispositif optoélectronique imprimé en 3D ne serait pas affectée par l’impression 3D assistée par évaporation de solvant. Cette étude pourrait permettre de mieux comprendre comment il serait possible de mettre au point des dispositifs optoélectroniques, y compris des photoconducteurs, des photovoltaïques organiques, des transistors à effet de champ organiques, etc. à l’aide de techniques de fabrication additive, ce qui ouvrira la voie à une nouvelle ère en électronique organique imprimée en trois dimensions. / Optoelectronic devices have become a staple in modern day technology which aims to transition to flexible electronics that are developed from organic compounds. To date, 2-dimensional films of conjugated polymer compounds have been the main contender for organic optoelectronic devices. As new processing methods and electronic needs become present in the modern day, a focus on 3-dimensional processing methods of optoelectronic materials have become increasingly of interest. With the increasing interest and variety of 3-dimensional processing methods, there is little understanding of how the processing technique molecularly affects the final product. Herein is presented a study on the extrusion-based, direct-ink writing of the well understood poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) blended into a variety of thermoplastic matrices. Initially the pristine thermoplastics of polystyrene (PS), poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) were evaluated based on their rheological and printable properties which are negligibly affected by the introduction of P3HT. Subsequently, after the blending of both high and low regioregular P3HT into each of the thermoplastic matrices, the printed architectures were further analyzed by X-Ray diffraction, UV-vis, and fluorescence techniques to assess the aggregation state of P3HT in comparison to 2-dimensional processed films. Interestingly, the electronic properties show little to no difference between 3-dimensional architectures and 2-dimensional films, which presumably indicates that the efficiency would not be affected by the direct-ink writing technique. This study could contribute to the beginning of producing optoelectronic devices, including photoconductors, organic photovoltaic and organic field effect transistors, in 3-dimensions resulting in a new age of electronics.

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