17988234. METHODS OF ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURING TOWER STRUCTURES WITH COILED POLYMER REINFORCEMENT MEMBERS simplified abstract (General Electric Company)

METHODS OF ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURING TOWER STRUCTURES WITH COILED POLYMER REINFORCEMENT MEMBERS

Organization Name

General Electric Company

Inventor(s)

James Robert Tobin of Greenville SC (US)

Xiaopeng Li of Niskayuna NY (US)

Ryan Eric Vogel of Greer SC (US)

METHODS OF ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURING TOWER STRUCTURES WITH COILED POLYMER REINFORCEMENT MEMBERS - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 17988234 titled 'METHODS OF ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURING TOWER STRUCTURES WITH COILED POLYMER REINFORCEMENT MEMBERS

Simplified Explanation

The method described in the abstract involves manufacturing a tower structure using additive printing technology and a reinforcement material. Here are some key points to explain the patent/innovation:

• Printing and depositing printed layers of a wall of the tower structure using a printhead assembly of an additive printing system.
• Unwinding a continuous roll of reinforcement material to form reinforcement ring member layers.
• Placing the reinforcement ring member layers atop the printed layers of the wall of the tower structure.
• Printing and depositing additional printed layers of the wall of the tower structure atop the reinforcement ring member layers.

Potential Applications: This technology could be applied in the construction industry for building tall structures such as towers and skyscrapers.

Problems Solved: This technology helps in improving the structural integrity and strength of tower structures by combining additive printing with reinforcement materials.

Benefits: The use of reinforcement materials enhances the durability and stability of tower structures, making them more resistant to external forces such as wind and seismic activity.

Potential Commercial Applications: This technology could be utilized by construction companies and architects for designing and constructing innovative and robust tower structures.

Possible Prior Art: One possible prior art could be the use of reinforcement materials in traditional construction methods to enhance the strength of structures.

Unanswered Questions: 1. How does the cost of manufacturing tower structures using this method compare to traditional construction methods? 2. What are the limitations of using additive printing technology for building tower structures in terms of size and height?

Original Abstract Submitted

A method of manufacturing a tower structure includes printing and depositing, via a printhead assembly of an additive printing system, one or more printed layers of a wall of the tower structure. The method also includes unwinding at least one continuous roll of a reinforcement material to form at least one continuous reinforcement ring member layer, the reinforcement material comprising a pultruded polymer material. Further, the method includes placing the at least one continuous reinforcement ring member layer atop the one or more printed layers of the wall of the tower structure. Moreover, the method includes printing and depositing, via the printhead assembly of the additive printing system, one or more additional printed layers of the wall of the tower structure atop the at least one continuous reinforcement ring member layer.