Improving the structural efficiency of textured three-dimensional concrete printing wall by architectural design

Abstract

Three-dimensional concrete printing (3DCP) technology begins to be adopted into construction application worldwide. Recent studies have focused on producing a higher concrete quality and offering a user-friendly construction process. Still, the 3DCP construction cost is unlikely to be lower than that of conventional construction, which is especially important for projects where the cost is sensitive. To broaden the 3DCP construction applications, reduction of the quantity of 3DCP material usage is needed. This work aims to perform structural analysis of several patterns of geometric textured 3DCP shell wall structures. 21 different cantilevered textured patterns of 3DCP shell wall structures were architecturally designed and then subjected to structural analysis by a finite element method (FEM). The results indicated that by designing appropriate patterns, the structural performance to weight ratio could be improved up to 300%. The study therefore offers an innovative design process for constructing 3DCP housing and suggests pre-construction analysis methods for 3DCP shell wall structures.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

3D printing / concrete / architectural design / shell wall / finite element method

References

[1] MarketsandMarketsResearch Private Ltd. 3D Printing Construction Market. 2021. Available at the website of MarketsandMarkets

[2] Tay Y, Li M, Tan M. Effect of printing parameters in 3D concrete printing: Printing region and support structures. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 2019, 271: 261–270

[3] Mechtcherine V, Nerella V N, Will F, Näther M, Otto J, Krause M. Large-scale digital concrete construction: CONPrint3D concept for on-site, monolithic 3D-printing. Automation in Construction, 2019, 107: 102933

[4] Bos F, Wolfs R, Ahmed Z, Salet T. Additive manufacturing of concrete in construction: Potentials and challenges of 3D concrete printing. Virtual and Physical Prototyping, 2016, 11(3): 209–225

[5] Paul S C, van Zijl G P A G, Tan M J, Gibson I. A review of 3D concrete printing systems and materials properties: Current status and future research prospects. Rapid Prototyping Journal, 2018, 24(4): 784–798

[6] Chen Y, Beer F, Copuroglu O. A critical review of 3D concrete printing as a low CO₂ concrete approach. Heron, 2017, 62(3): 167–194

[7] Mahadevan M, Francis A, Thomas A. A simulation-based investigation of sustainability aspects of 3D printed structures. Journal of Building Engineering, 2020, 32: 101735

[8] Xiao J, Zou S, Yu Y, Wang Y, Ding T, Zhu Y, Yu J, Li S, Duan Z, Wu Y, Li L. 3D recycled mortar printing: System development, process design, material properties and on-site printing. Journal of Building Engineering, 2020, 32: 101779

[9] Marais H, Christen H, Cho S, de Villiers W, van Zijl G. Computational assessment of thermal performance of 3D printed concrete wall structures with cavities. Journal of Building Engineering, 2021, 41: 102431

[10] Alkhalidi A, Hatuqay D. Energy efficient 3D printed buildings: Material and techniques selection worldwide study. Journal of Building Engineering, 2020, 30: 101286

[11] Adaloudis M, Roca J B. Sustainability tradeoffs in the adoption of 3D concrete printing in the construction industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2021, 307: 127201

[12] Labonnote N, Rønnquist A, Manum B, Rüther P. Additive construction: State-of-the-art, challenges and opportunities. Automation in Construction, 2016, 72: 347–366

[13] Weinstein D, Nawara P. Determining the applicability of 3D concrete construction (contour crafting) of low income houses in select countries. Cornell Real Estate Review, 2015, 13: 94–111

[14] Weng Y, Li M, Ruan S, Wong T N, Tan M J, Yeong K L O, Qian S. Comparative economic, environmental and productivity assessment of a concrete bathroom unit fabricated through 3D printing and a precast approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2020, 261: 121245

[15] Vantyghem G, de Corte W, Shakour E, Amir O. 3D printing of a post-tensioned concrete girder designed by topology optimization. Automation in Construction, 2020, 112: 103084

[16] JipaABernhardMMeibodiM ADillenburgerB. 3D-printed stay-in-place formwork for topologically optimized concrete slabs. In: Proceedings of TxA Emerging Design + Technology Conference 2016. San Antonio, TX: Texas Society of Architects, 2016

[17] Anton A, Reiter L, Wangler T, Frangez V, Flatt R, Dillenburger B. A 3D concrete printing prefabrication platform for bespoke columns. Automation in Construction, 2021, 122: 103467

[18] du Plessis A, Babafemi A J, Paul S C, Panda B, Tran J P, Broeckhoven C. Biomimicry for 3D concrete printing: A review and perspective. Additive Manufacturing, 2021, 38: 101823

[19] AhmedZBiffiAHassLBosFSaletT. 3D Concrete printing—Free form geometries with improved ductility and strength. In: Bos F P, Lucas S S, Wolfs R J M, Salet T A M, eds. Second RILEM International Conference on Concrete and Digital Fabrication. Cham: Springer Cham, 2020

[20] Prasittisopin L, Jiramarootapong P, Pongpaisarnseree K, Snguanyart C. Lean manufacturing and thermal enhancement of single-layer wall with an additive manufacturing (AM) structure. ZKG International, 2019, 4: 64–74

[21] SikaGroup. 3D Concrete Printing Technology from Sika. 2019. Available at the website of Sika

[22] 3dplodder. New Generation of 3D Construction Printers, 3dplodder. 2021. Available at the website of 3dplodder

[23] Wang D, Zhang T, Guo X, Ling D, Hu L, Jiang G. The potential of 3D printing in facilitating carbon neutrality. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 2023, 130: 85–91

[24] Muñoz I, Alonso-Madrid J, Menéndez-Muñiz M, Uhart M, Canou J, Martin C, Fabritius M, Calvo L, Poudelet L, Cardona R, Lombois-Burger H, Vlasopoulos N, Bouyssou C, Dirrenberger J, Papacharalampopoulos A, Stavropoulos P. Life cycle assessment of integrated additive–subtractive concrete 3D printing. International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 2021, 112(7−8): 2149–2159

[25] Tinoco M P, de Mendonça É M, Fernandez L I C, Caldas L R, Reales O A M, Filho R D T. Life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental sustainability of cementitious materials for 3D concrete printing: A systematic literature review. Journal of Building Engineering, 2022, 52: 104456

[26] PosamentierALehmannI. The Secrets of Triangles: A Mathematical Journey. New York: Prometheus, 2012

[27] JiramarootapongPPrasittisopinLSnguanyatCTanapornraweekitGTangtermsirikulS. Load carrying capacity and failure mode of 3D printing mortar wall panel under axial compression loading. In: Bos F P, Lucas S S, Wolfs R J M, Salet T A M, eds. Second RILEM International Conference on Concrete and Digital Fabrication. Cham: Springer Cham, 2020

[28] Sereewatthanawut I, Prasittisopin L. Effects of accelerating and retarding agents on nucleation and crystal growth of calcium aluminate cement. Open Ceramics, 2022, 11: 100290

[29] PrasittisopinLPongpaisansereeKJiramarootapongPSnguanyatC. Binding material suitable for three-dimensional printing formation. US Patent, US20200299193A1, 2019-03-19

[30] Daungwilailuk T, Pheinsusom P, Pansuk W. Uniaxial load testing of large-scale 3D-printed concrete wall and finite-element model analysis. Construction and Building Materials, 2021, 275(15): 122039

[31] Prasittisopin L, Sakdanaraseth T, Horayangkura V. Design and construction method of a 3D concrete printing self-supporting curvilinear pavilion. Journal of Architectural Engineering, 2021, 27(3): 05021006

[32] LouYYoonJ WHuhHChaoQSongS J. Correlation of the maximum shear stress with micro-mechanisms of ductile fracture for metals with high strength-to-weight ratio. International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 2018, 146–147: 583−601

[33] Kishore R A, Tiwari R, Dvivedi A, Singh I. Taguchi analysis of the residual tensile strength after drilling in glass fiber reinforced epoxy composites. Materials & Design, 2009, 30(6): 2186–2190

[34] Demers C E. Fatigue strength degradation of E-glass FRP composites and carbon FRP composites. Construction and Building Materials, 1998, 12(5): 311–318

[35] Bauer J, Hengsbach S, Tesari I, Schwaiger R, Kraft O. High-strength cellular ceramic composites with 3D microarchitecture. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014, 111(7): 2453–2458

[36] Liew J Y R, Xiong M X, Xiong D X. Design of high strength concrete filled tubular columns for tall buildings. International Journal of High-Rise Buildings, 2014, 3(3): 215–221

[37] Gosselin C, Duballet R, Roux Ph, Gaudillière N, Dirrenberger J, Morel P. Large-scale 3D printing of ultra-high performance concrete—A new processing route for architects and builders. Materials & Design, 2016, 100: 102–109

[38] Craveiro F, Bartolo H M, Gale A, Duarte J P, Bartolo P J. A design tool for resource-efficient fabrication of 3d-graded structural building components using additive manufacturing. Automation in Construction, 2017, 82: 75–83

[39] BattagliaC AMillerM FZivkovicS. Sub-additive 3D printing of optimized double curved concrete lattice structures. In: Willmann J, Block P, Hutter M, Byrne K, Schork T, eds. Robotic Fabrication in Architecture, Art and Design 2018. Cham: Springer Cham, 2019

[40] Pasco J, Lei Z, Aranas C. Additive manufacturing in off-site construction: Review and future directions. Buildings, 2022, 12(1): 53

[41] Tuvayanond W, Prasittisopin L. Design for manufacture and assembly of digital fabrication and additive manufacturing in construction: A review. Buildings, 2023, 13(2): 429

Acknowledgements

The authors thanked Siam Cement Group company to provide significant insight of the FEM process in this study. The study was financially supported by Multidisciplinary Research Grant, Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University and Thailand Science research and Innovation Fund Chulalongkorn University (No. SOC66250010).

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2024 Higher Education Press