Facilities
National Facility for Infrastructure Construction
We are delighted to announce that from July 2020 the School will host the National Facility for Infrastructure Construction. This facility is funded by EPSRC and is the only constituent of UKCRIC dedicated exclusively to modern methods of delivery and maintenance of infrastructure. It is underpinned by the vision of transforming and modernising the construction industry and the director is Prof. Sergio Cavalaro.
Loughborough has a world-class reputation in this field and the new facility will expand our research capabilities in 3d concrete printing and sprayed cementitious materials, providing unique research capabilities for:
(1) New methods of delivery; and,
(2) Modern methods of inspection and renovation.
The new equipment to support the former comprises a full-scale automated flexible mould controlled by 100 actuators, new robotic cells for 3d printing and spraying, and a 200 m2 simulator including a high-accuracy tracking system to assess small- and large-scale construction processes. The equipment to support the latter includes a robotic manipulation and jet spraying cell, UAV system with a suite of long-distance assessment tools, near-surface automated cell and rig for the autonomous repair of loaded components.
