Mass Timber, 3D Printing May be Future of Military Construction for Army, Navy

Military and Navy barracks might someday be 3D printed or constructed utilizing mass timber development that includes massive wood structural beams manufactured from smaller lumber.

As we speak on Capitol Hill, Dave Morrow, director of army applications for Military Corps of Engineers, and Keith Hamilton, chief engineer for Naval Services Engineering Programs Command, met with lawmakers from the Home appropriations committee, subcommittee on protection, to debate the present and potential future makes use of of progressive development methods and applied sciences by the armed forces. 

Additive development — 3D printing buildings — excessive efficiency cement and concrete mixes, geosynthetics, mass timber, composite supplies, industrialized development, rigidity material buildings and carbon fiber bolstered polymers had been all a part of the dialogue with lawmakers about how the Military and Navy can develop probably the most value environment friendly and resilient army development initiatives. 

“In an more and more complicated international safety setting, our dedication to innovation in army development is not only about constructing buildings, it is about constructing the resilience and readiness our forces must prevail,” Morrow stated. “By working with business to leverage these developments, we will ship extra sturdy, sustainable and cost-effective infrastructure for our army, making certain taxpayer {dollars} are used effectively, whereas equipping our troops with the perfect services on the earth.” 

The Military Corps of Engineers, Morrow stated, has already piloted 3D printed development at Tyndall Air Drive Base, Florida, and Fort Bliss, Texas. At Fort Bliss, three new initiatives involving barracks had been constructed utilizing 3D printing know-how. 

Morrow stated this know-how can be utilized in garrison or in expeditionary environments. 

“Additive development has [the] potential to scale back prices, manpower, logistics and time, whereas opening the door for improved and new purposes, similar to unconventional countermeasures,” he instructed lawmakers. 

The USACE’s Engineer Analysis and Growth Middle has performed a component within the improvement of unified services standards, to permit additive development in 80% of the USA, Morrow stated. The factors, developed collectively, units fundamental technical necessities that have to be adopted to ship code-compliant, full and usable army services. 

In Hampton Roads, Virginia, the Navy is now piloting using mass timber, additionally referred to as cross-laminated timber, for development of a kid improvement middle, Hamilton stated. 

In testimony submitted to the committee, Hamilton stated the brand new facility will use a hybrid mass timber exterior envelope consisting of cross-laminated partitions and diaphragms. 

“DOD has expressly acknowledged the applicability of CLT with the creation of a information specification,” Hamilton stated. “Because the CLT development business matures, CLT might show extra aggressive and could possibly be utilized extra broadly in DOD development.” 

The USACE can be working with mass timber initiatives, Morrow stated. 

“We just lately designed the Military’s first barracks made primarily with mass timber structural parts and are soliciting curiosity in development of a undertaking at Mountain Dwelling Air Drive Base, calling for the incorporations of mass timber design,” he stated, including that mass timber development in these initiatives might cut back development timelines. 

At Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Level, North Carolina, NAVFAC was concerned in piloting using high-performance concrete to construct a brand new F-35 Lighting II hanger, Hamilton instructed lawmakers. 

Developments inside HPC embrace sturdiness, power, and resistance to excessive environmental circumstances, in addition to improved thermal and acoustic properties. 

“HPC has been used extensively for our piers, runways and different vital infrastructure; and we’re broadening its software,” Hamilton wrote in submitted testimony. 

Like USACE, Hamilton stated, NAVFAC is seeking to newer applied sciences to supply higher services and higher capabilities to warfighters. 

“NAVFAC is actively testing and using progressive applied sciences, supplies and strategies for design and development at the moment, and we’re leaning ahead to extend collaboration with business, academia and different authorities companions to establish and leverage future alternatives,” Hamilton stated. 

Throughout the Navy, he instructed lawmakers, new steerage requires NAVFAC planners and engineers to guage if new army development initiatives can use various development strategies to fulfill warfighting necessities, decrease prices and speed up undertaking supply.