Investigations on Multi-Sensor Data for Monitoring Volume Flow During the Printing Process

Extrusion based 3D concrete printing (3DCP) is a growing technology because of its high potential for automating construction and the new possibilities of design. In conventional construction methods, a sample is taken to be representative for one material batch. However, in 3DCP continuous mixing is used which results in variations during the mixing process. Therefore, one sample is not representative for the entire structure. This leads to the necessity of continuous and real-time process monitoring.
This study focuses on the variations of pressure and temperature which are caused by changes in the material due to the ongoing mixing process. Changes in material, which is transported downstream, are influencing sensor signals in different positions with a time delay. In the following, the data is analysed to investigate if the changing material and the so caused change in pressure can be used to calculate volume flow.