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Design and Properties of 3D Printing Concrete
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Design and Properties of 3D Printing Concrete

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 July 2024 | Viewed by 10087

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Arnaud Perrot

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
IRDL, Université Bretagne Sud, Lorient, France
Interests: 3D printing; additive manufacturing; extrusion; mix design; cement-based materials; earth-based materials; rheology; porous medium
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Concrete 3D printing has received a lot of interest in recent years, leading to the development of new concepts, printing devices and construction designs. The disruptive development of 3D printing in the building field has induced multidisciplinary research development, leading to new mixed designs of printable materials, the definition of fresh state properties and rheological behaviour requirements, structural and architectural designs of printed structures using topology optimization, and robotics innovation.

This Special Issue focuses on works related to those innovations. Paper topics can include many aspects related to the digital fabrication of concrete and cement-based materials: processing, case studies, fresh state properties and rheological requirements, the mechanical behaviour of printed cement-based material, the structural design of printed parts and structures, and environmental and economic impacts.

This Special Issue is expected to provide a collection of articles showing an overview of recent advances in the field of concrete 3D printing and drawing future perspectives for these new revolutionary methods.

Dr. Arnaud Perrot
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • 3D printing
  • additive manufacturing
  • cement-based materials
  • concrete
  • rheology
  • processing
  • computer-aided methods
  • extrusion
  • structural design
  • topology optimization
  • cement

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 10387 KiB  
Article
Binder Jetting 3D Printing of Binary Cement—Siliceous Sand Mixture
by Mursaleen Shahid and Vincenzo M. Sglavo
Materials 2024, 17(7), 1514; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17071514 - 27 Mar 2024
Viewed by 581
Abstract
Three-dimensional printing allows accurate geometries to be obtained across a wide range of applications and it is now also moving into the architecture and construction industry. In the present work, a unique binary mix composed of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and quick-setting cement [...] Read more.
Three-dimensional printing allows accurate geometries to be obtained across a wide range of applications and it is now also moving into the architecture and construction industry. In the present work, a unique binary mix composed of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and quick-setting cement (QSC) was combined with silica sand aggregate in different proportions for a customized binder jetting 3D printing (BJ3DP) process. Specimens were printed using the blended dry powders and deionized water to determine the impact of the processing variables on the properties of the realized specimens. The results show that the properties are influenced by the binary mix proportions and the layer thickness. The investigation found significant improvement in mechanical performance on increasing the proportion of OPC and optimal conditions were identified with proportions of 35 wt% OPC and 5 wt% QSC. Notable enhancements were also observed as the layer thickness was reduced. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Properties of 3D Printing Concrete)
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29 pages, 5216 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Curing Conditions on the Service Life of 3D Printed Concrete Formwork
by Michiel Bekaert, Kim Van Tittelboom and Geert De Schutter
Materials 2023, 16(21), 6972; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16216972 - 30 Oct 2023
Viewed by 905
Abstract
Complex concrete elements are typically produced with lost formwork made out of timber or plastic. After usage, these timber or plastic panels are disposed of. This makes complex lost formwork a polluting and high-cost-inducing aspect of concrete construction. A possible solution for this [...] Read more.
Complex concrete elements are typically produced with lost formwork made out of timber or plastic. After usage, these timber or plastic panels are disposed of. This makes complex lost formwork a polluting and high-cost-inducing aspect of concrete construction. A possible solution for this problem could be 3D printing of concrete. This high degree of freedom construction process could easily be used to produce complex formwork. As the formwork stays in place, it has a function during and after the hardening of the inner concrete. Before hardening, the formwork keeps the fresh concrete in place. After hardening, the printed formwork takes the function of a concrete cover. The concrete cover protects the steel reinforcement against aggressive environmental substances such as chlorides and carbon dioxide. To properly execute this function, the printed material and the transition between printed material and inner concrete need to perform at least as well as the inner material. This experimental research investigates the usability of a 3D printed concrete mixture as a concrete cover in a combined concrete structure. The effect of the curing condition as well as two different surface finishing techniques of the printed formwork are taken into account. The effect of the different parameters is compared based on existing service life models. Results indicate that proper curing of the printed formwork is of key importance in order to obtain significant resistance against carbonation- and chloride-induced corrosion. Adjusting the nozzle with side trowels improves the resistance of the printed material against chloride intrusion and carbonation but has only a limited effect on the service life extension. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Properties of 3D Printing Concrete)
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21 pages, 13543 KiB  
Article
A Novel Approach for 3D Printing Fiber-Reinforced Mortars
by Dragoș Ungureanu, Cătălin Onuțu, Dorina Nicolina Isopescu, Nicolae Țăranu, Ștefan Vladimir Zghibarcea, Ionuț Alexandru Spiridon and Răzvan Andrei Polcovnicu
Materials 2023, 16(13), 4609; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16134609 - 26 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 962
Abstract
Three-dimensional printing with cement-based materials is a promising manufacturing technique for civil engineering applications that already allows for the design and the construction of complex and highly customized structures using a layer-by-layer deposition approach. The extrusion mechanism is one of the most expensive [...] Read more.
Three-dimensional printing with cement-based materials is a promising manufacturing technique for civil engineering applications that already allows for the design and the construction of complex and highly customized structures using a layer-by-layer deposition approach. The extrusion mechanism is one of the most expensive parts of the 3D printer. Also, for low-scale 3D printers, based on the shape of the extruder and the geometry limitation of the mixing blade, the 3D mixture is often limited to a narrow range of materials due to the risk of layer splitting or blockage. Therefore, there is a need to develop affordable and feasible alternatives to the current design–fabrication–application approach of 3D printers. In this paper, various newly designed mixtures of fiber-reinforced mortars that can be 3D printed using only a commercially available screw pump are analyzed based on their fresh properties and mechanical characteristics. The results, in terms of extrudability, buildability, flowability, and flexural and compressive strengths, highlight the potential of using this technology for constructing complex structures with high strength and durability. Also, the reduced facility requirements of this approach enable 3D printing to be made more available for civil engineering applications. With further innovations to come in the future, this method and these mixtures can be extended for the sustainable and economically feasible printing of single-family housing units. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Properties of 3D Printing Concrete)
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32 pages, 8286 KiB  
Article
Machine Learning-Based Predictive Model for Tensile and Flexural Strength of 3D-Printed Concrete
by Ammar Ali, Raja Dilawar Riaz, Umair Jalil Malik, Syed Baqar Abbas, Muhammad Usman, Mati Ullah Shah, In-Ho Kim, Asad Hanif and Muhammad Faizan
Materials 2023, 16(11), 4149; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16114149 - 02 Jun 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2532
Abstract
The additive manufacturing of concrete, also known as 3D-printed concrete, is produced layer by layer using a 3D printer. The three-dimensional printing of concrete offers several benefits compared to conventional concrete construction, such as reduced labor costs and wastage of materials. It can [...] Read more.
The additive manufacturing of concrete, also known as 3D-printed concrete, is produced layer by layer using a 3D printer. The three-dimensional printing of concrete offers several benefits compared to conventional concrete construction, such as reduced labor costs and wastage of materials. It can also be used to build complex structures with high precision and accuracy. However, optimizing the mix design of 3D-printed concrete is challenging, involving numerous factors and extensive hit-and-trail experimentation. This study addresses this issue by developing predictive models, such as the Gaussian Process Regression model, Decision Tree Regression model, Support Vector Machine model, and XGBoost Regression models. The input parameters were water (Kg/m3), cement (Kg/m3), silica fume (Kg/m3), fly ash (Kg/m3), coarse aggregate (Kg/m3 & mm for diameter), fine aggregate (Kg/m3 & mm for diameter), viscosity modifying agent (Kg/m3), fibers (Kg/m3), fiber properties (mm for diameter and MPa for strength), print speed (mm/sec), and nozzle area (mm2), while target properties were the flexural and tensile strength of concrete (MPa data from 25 literature studies were collected. The water/binder ratio used in the dataset ranged from 0.27 to 0.67. Different types of sands and fibers have been used, with fibers having a maximum length of 23 mm. Based upon the Coefficient of Determination (R2), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Square Error (MSE), and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) for casted and printed concrete, the SVM model performed better than other models. All models’ cast and printed flexural strength values were also correlated. The model’s performance has also been checked on six different mix proportions from the dataset to show its accuracy. It is worth noting that the lack of ML-based predictive models for the flexural and tensile properties of 3D-printed concrete in the literature makes this study a novel innovation in the field. This model could reduce the computational and experimental effort required to formulate the mixed design of printed concrete. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Properties of 3D Printing Concrete)
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34 pages, 5562 KiB  
Article
Optimisation of Mix Proportion of 3D Printable Mortar Based on Rheological Properties and Material Strength Using Factorial Design of Experiment
by Sandipan Kaushik, Mohammed Sonebi, Giuseppina Amato, Utpal Kumar Das and Arnaud Perrot
Materials 2023, 16(4), 1748; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16041748 - 20 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2033
Abstract
In the production of 3D printable mortar (3DPM), numerous efforts have been made globally to effectively utilise various cementitious materials, admixtures, and fibres. The determination of rheological and material strength properties is crucial for successful 3D concrete printing because the materials used in [...] Read more.
In the production of 3D printable mortar (3DPM), numerous efforts have been made globally to effectively utilise various cementitious materials, admixtures, and fibres. The determination of rheological and material strength properties is crucial for successful 3D concrete printing because the materials used in 3DPM must possess the unique characteristic of making mortar flowable while being strong enough to support the weight of subsequent layers in both fresh and hardened states. The complexity of the required characteristics makes it challenging to develop an optimised mix composition that satisfies both the rheological and material strength requirements, given the wide range of available admixtures, supplementary cementitious materials, and fibres. Fly ash, basalt fibre and superplasticiser when blended with cement can help to improve the overall performance of 3DPM. The objective of this research is to optimise the rheological properties and material strength of 3D printable mortars (3DPM) containing cement, fly ash, basalt fibre, and superplasticiser. This study aims to produce 3DPM with an optimised mix composition to meet the requirements of both rheological and material strength characteristics using the factorial design approach and desirability function. Different dosages of cement, fly ash, basalt fibre, and superplasticiser are chosen as the primary design parameters to develop statistical models for the responses of rheological and material strength properties at 7 and 28 days. The results expressed in terms of the measured properties are valid for mortars made with cement ranging from 550 to 650 kg/m3, fly ash from 5% to 20% (of cement), superplasticiser from 2 to 4 kg/m3, and basalt fibre from 1 to 3 kg/m3. The rheological properties are evaluated using slump flow, cone penetrometer, and cylindrical slump tests, while the mechanical strength is evaluated using a three-point bending test and compressive test. A full factorial design experiment (FoE) is used to determine the significant parameters effecting the measured properties. Prediction models are developed to express the measured properties in terms of the primary parameters. The influence of cement, fly ash, basalt fibre, and superplasticiser is analysed using polynomial regression to determine the main effects and interactions of these primary parameters on the measured properties. The results show that the regression models established by the factorial design approach are effective and can accurately predict the performance of 3DPM. Cement, fly ash, and superplasticiser dosages have significant effects on the rheological and mechanical properties of mortar, while basalt fibre is able to influence the static yield stress and flexural strength of 3DPM. The utilisation of regression models and isoresponse curves allows for the identification of significant trends and provides valuable insight into the behaviour of the material, while desirability function is useful to optimise overall performance of mix proportions to meet the desired performance objective at fresh and hardened states. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Properties of 3D Printing Concrete)
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Review

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38 pages, 3250 KiB  
Review
A Review of the Extruder System Design for Large-Scale Extrusion-Based 3D Concrete Printing
by Hao Chen, Daobo Zhang, Peng Chen, Ning Li and Arnaud Perrot
Materials 2023, 16(7), 2661; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16072661 - 27 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2209
Abstract
Extrusion-based 3D concrete printing (E3DCP) has been appreciated by academia and industry as the most plausible candidate for prospective concrete constructions. Considerable research efforts are dedicated to the material design to improve the extrudability of fresh concrete. However, at the time of writing [...] Read more.
Extrusion-based 3D concrete printing (E3DCP) has been appreciated by academia and industry as the most plausible candidate for prospective concrete constructions. Considerable research efforts are dedicated to the material design to improve the extrudability of fresh concrete. However, at the time of writing this paper, there is still a lack of a review paper that highlights the significance of the mechanical design of the E3DCP system. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the mechanical design of the E3DCP extruder system in terms of the extruder system, positioning system and advanced fittings, and their effects on the extrudability are also discussed by relating to the extrusion driving forces and extrusion resistive forces which may include chamber wall shear force, shaping force, nozzle wall shear force, dead zone shear force and layer pressing force. Moreover, a classification framework of the E3DCP system as an extension of the DFC classification framework was proposed. The authors reckoned that such a classification framework could assist a more systematic E3DCP system design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Properties of 3D Printing Concrete)
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