Experimental and numerical evaluation of multi-directional compressive and flexure behavior of three-dimensional printed concrete

Abstract

Three-dimensional concrete printing (3DCP) can proliferate the industrialization of the construction sector, which is notoriously conservative and indolent toward changes. However, the mechanical behavior of 3DCP should be characterized and modeled considering the interfaces when its performance is thoroughly compared to that of the existing concrete construction methods. This study presents an experimental and numerical investigation of uniaxial compression and three-point bending (TPB) tests on extruded 3DCP beams in different loading directions. The orientation of translational and depositional interfaces with respect to the direction of loading influenced the strength. Both the elastic and post-damage behavior of the 3DCP specimens were compared with those of the conventionally cast specimen under quasi-static loading conditions. Despite the higher compressive strength of the casted specimen, the flexural strength of the 3DCP specimens was higher. This study employed the finite element and cohesive zone models of the appropriate calibrated traction-separation law to model fracture in the notched TPB specimens. Furthermore, the real-time acoustic emission test revealed the nature of failure phenomenon of three-dimensional-printed specimens under flexion, and accordingly, the cohesive law was chosen. The predicted load−displacement responses are in good agreement with the experimental results. Finally, the effects of cohesive thickness and notch shape on the performance under bending were explored through parametric studies.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

three-dimensional printing / anisotropy / flexure / compression / cohesive zone model / finite element model

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Science and Engineering Research Board, India, under the scheme “Early Career Research Award (No. ECR/2018/001638)”, DST-SERB and VSSC, and ISRO of the project titled “Functionality Enhancement Through Design and Development of Advanced Finite Element Algorithms for STR Tools” under the IMPRINT.IIC (IMP/2019/000276) scheme. The authors acknowledge the Smart Materials and Structure Laboratory for facilitating the AE sensor test and DST-FIST funded facility, SHIMADZU AGS-X 100-kN universal testing machine, at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. Biranchi Panda would like to thank the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), India, for the start-up grant (No. SRG/2021/000052).

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-023-0004-z and is accessible for authorized users.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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