journal article·2025-12Open access

Emergency response mobile 3D printing system: A case study in rapid manufacturing of polyurethane foam bridges

Jingwen Liang, Zhuo Zeng, Penglin Wang, Zhongxu Wang, Shifeng Wen, Yan Zhou, Cheng Zhou

Abstract

In the context of increasing global natural disasters, the 72-hour golden rescue window imposes three critical requirements on rapid construction technologies: timeliness, multi-hazard adaptability, and systemic support. Addressing the current research gap in validating the structural performance of polyurethane foam as an independent load-bearing material, this study proposes an integrated rapid construction system centered on rigid polyurethane foam 3D printing (PF3DP) technology, incorporating a mobile construction platform (MCP), UAV-based 3D reconstruction modeling, and human-robot collaborative control. The system establishes a comprehensive "scanning-modeling-simulation-printing" workflow and demonstrates its efficacy through a bridge construction case study (6 × 1.2 × 0.6 m). Using rigid polyurethane foam (density of 30 kg/m³), the MCP achieved on-site printing within 20 minutes, with load-bearing tests confirming safe support for 2,600 N (equivalent to the weight of four adults) without deformation. This system is scalable to emergency shelters, flood barriers, and other disaster response scenarios, providing an engineering-feasible solution that combines timeliness, multi-hazard adaptability, and structural reliability for post-disaster construction.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Innovations in Concrete and Construction Materials · Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies · BIM and Construction Integration

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

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