Presented jointly to Walbridge and Conestoga College professors Jim Galloway and Dr. Tam Nguyen, the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction’s (CISC) H.A. Krentz Research Award recognizes researchers with the year’s best research proposal. Walbridge is the first Waterloo professor to ever receive this award.
Dr. Scott Walbridge is the recipient of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction's H.A. Krentz Research Award.
Utilizing expertise that Galloway and Nguyen have in welding processes, and Walbridge’s expertise in brittle fracture and fatigue prediction in bridges, their research will stress test the use of welded 3D printing to determine its efficacy in large-scale civil infrastructure projects.
Using samples created by Galloway and Nguyen’s ‘welding robot,’ technology that employs unique welding techniques to 3D-print large steel objects, Walbridge plans to develop a series of sophisticated analytical tools that can predict material cracks and levels of risk to assess their sustainability in real-world applications like pedestrian bridges.
The process of 3D printing – also known as additive manufacturing – has already led to breakthroughs in product prototyping and biomedicine. Walbridge’s research team aims to widen the scope of this success to establish an evidence-based case for why combining robotics with welding and 3D-printing technology can lead to more sustainable structures.
“I’m thrilled to be given this opportunity to employ additive manufacturing techniques in large civil engineering applications,” Walbridge said. “To date, Waterloo has done some great work on 3D-printing applications for smaller objects, like cell phone parts. Our project will explore how we can elevate 3D printing to large-scale structural steel applications to help ensure future civil infrastructure can be made in a safe, efficient and sustainable way.”
Walbridge, Galloway and Nguyen received the award last week at the CISC’s annual awards banquet in Vancouver.