additive: “Cold spray” 3D printing proves effective for on-site bridge repair
Additive manufacturing has moved from lab demo to field repair: a UMass Amherst–MIT team, working with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), has shown that cold-spray metal deposition can restore corroded bridge steel directly on site with minimal traffic disruption. In a proof-of-concept performed in Great Barrington, technicians deposited powdered steel onto a degraded section of an I-beam, rebuilding thickness and structural properties layer by layer. Why the field trial matters
Across the United States, more than half of the 623,218 bridges show significant deterioration, with 49.1% rated “fair” and 6.8% “poor,” and full restoration costs projected above $191 billion. By demonstrating additive repair on a live structure, the team points to a path where engineers...
