Influence of curing conditions on the shrinkage behavior of three-dimensional printed concrete formwork

Abstract

The use of three-dimensional (3D) printed concrete as formwork is becoming more widely applied within the industry. However, the technology is still not optimized and there are many reports of preliminary cracking during the curing of cast concrete. This is believed to result from differential shrinkage between the printed and cast concrete. These cracks (in the printed concrete or at the interface between the infill and printed concrete) form a preferential path for aggressive substances and can reduce the durability of the combined concrete element. To ensure the desired service life of the structure, it is important that the differential shrinkage between cast and printed concrete is understood. This study investigated the effect of curing conditions on the differential shrinkage behavior of 3D and cast concrete. The influence of prewetting of the dry-cured 3D printed formwork was also determined. In the experimental program, a vibrated and self-compacting concrete were used as cast material. Linear 3D printed formwork was produced and combined with cast concrete to simulate a concrete structure. Printed formwork was cured for 1, 7, or 28 d exposed to the air (relative humidity: 60% or 95%) or submerged in water. The length change of the combined elements was observed over 56 d after concrete casting and throughout the thickness of the materials. Results show that increasing the curing period in dry conditions of the printed concrete leads to an expansion of the formwork on the first day after casting. The expansion leads to a non-uniform strain evolution throughout the curing period of the combined element. Printed concrete formwork stored in wet conditions does not expand after the casting process but tends to show a decreasing linear deformation within the whole elements.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

3D concrete printing / formwork / shrinkage / curing

References

[1] de Schutter G, Lesage K, Mechtcherine V, Nerella V N, Habert G, Agusti-Juan I. Vision of 3D printing with concrete—Technical, economic and environmental potentials. Cement and Concrete Research, 2018, 112: 25–36

[2] NematollahiBXiaMSanjayanJ. Current progress of 3D concrete printing technologies. In: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction. Taipei, China: IAARC Publications, 2017, 34

[3] Zhang J, Wang J, Dong S, Yu X, Han B. A review of the current progress and application of 3D printed concrete. Composites. Part A, Applied Science and Manufacturing, 2019, 125: 105533

[4] Mohan M K, Rahul A V, van Dam B, Zeidan T, de Schutter G, van Tittelboom K. Performance criteria, environmental impact and cost assessment for 3D printable concrete mixtures. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2022, 181: 106255

[5] Kristombu Baduge S, Navaratnam S, Abu-Zidan Y, McCormack T, Nguyen K, Mendis P, Zhang G, Aye L. Improving performance of additive manufactured (3D printed) concrete: A review on material mix design, processing, interlayer bonding, and reinforcing methods. Structures, 2021, 29: 1597–1609

[6] Bekaert M, van Tittelboom K, de Schutter G. Printed concrete as formwork material: A preliminary study. RILEM Bookseries, 2020, 28: 575–583

[7] Furet B, Poullain P, Garnier S. 3D printing for construction based on a complex wall of polymer-foam and concrete. Additive Manufacturing, 2019, 28: 58–64

[8] JipaAGiacomarraFGieseckeR. 3D-printed formwork for bespoke concrete stairs: From computational design to digital fabrication. In: Proceedings of the 3rd Annual ACM Symposium on Computational Fabrication. Pittsburgh, PA: Association for Computing Machinery 2019, 1–12

[9] Zhu B, Nematollahi B, Pan J, Zhang Y, Zhou Z, Zhang Y. 3D concrete printing of permanent formwork for concrete column construction. Cement and Concrete Composites, 2021, 121: 104039

[10] CussonD. Durability of Repaired Concrete Structures. Cambridge: Woodhead Publishing Limited, 2009

[11] Beushausen H, Alexander M G. Failure mechanisms and tensile relaxation of bonded concrete overlays subjected to differential shrinkage. Cement and Concrete Research, 2006, 36(10): 1908–1914

[12] BazantZ P. Material models for structural creep analysis. Mathematical of Creep and Shrinkage of Concrete, 1988: 134–146

[13] Bentz D P, Jensen O M. Mitigation strategies for autogenous shrinkage cracking. Cement and Concrete Composites, 2004, 26(6): 677–685

[14] BeushausenH D. Long-term performance of bonded concrete overlays subjected to differential shrinkage. Dissertation for the Doctoral Degree. Rondebosch: University of Cape Town, 2005

[15] Zhang C, Nerella V N, Krishna A, Wang S, Zhang Y, Mechtcherine V, Banthia N. Mix design concepts for 3D printable concrete: A review. Cement and Concrete Composites, 2021, 122: 104155

[16] Lu T, Li Z, Huang H. Restraining effect of aggregates on autogenous shrinkage in cement mortar and concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 2021, 289: 123166

[17] Moelich G M, Kruger J, Combrinck R. Plastic shrinkage cracking in 3D printed concrete. Composites. Part B, Engineering, 2020, 200: 108313

[18] Markin S, Mechtcherine V. Methods for measuring plastic shrinkage and related cracking of 3D-printed concrete. In: Proceedings of Journal of Physics: Conference Series. Homepage: IOP Publishing, 2023, 2423(1): 012036

[19] Federowicz K, Kaszyńska M, Zieliński A, Hoffmann M. Effect of curing methods on shrinkage development in 3D-printed concrete. Materials, 2020, 13(11): 2590

[20] van Der PuttenJSnoeckDde CoenselRde SchutterGvan TittelboomK. Early age shrinkage phenomena of 3D printed cementitious materials with superabsorbent polymers. Journal of Building Engineering, 2021, 35: 102059

[21] Shahmirzadi M R, Gholampour A, Kashani A, Ngo T D. Shrinkage behavior of cementitious 3D printing materials: Effect of temperature and relative humidity. Cement and Concrete Composites, 2021, 124: 104238

[22] Le T T, Austin S A, Lim S, Buswell R A, Law R, Gibb A G F, Thorpe T. Hardened properties of high-performance printing concrete. Cement and Concrete Research, 2012, 42(3): 558–566

[23] Kovler K, Zhutovsky S. Overview and future trends of shrinkage research. Materials and structures, 2006, 39: 827–847

[24] Wang L, Yang Y, Yao L, Ma G. Interfacial bonding properties of 3D printed permanent formwork with the post-casted concrete. Cement and Concrete Composites, 2022, 128: 104457

[25] BekaertMvan TittelboomKde SchutterG. 3D printed concrete as stay-in-place formwork: Mechanics during casting and curing. Structural Concrete, 2022: 1–18

[26] Mohan M K, Rahul A V, van Tittelboom K, de Schutter G. Rheological and pumping behaviour of 3D printable cementitious materials with varying aggregate content. Cement and Concrete Research, 2021, 139: 106258

[27] Desnerck P, de Schutter G, Taerwe L. Stress–strain behaviour of self-compacting concretes containing limestone fillers. Structural Concrete, 2012, 13(2): 95–101

[28] Zhang H, Wang Y, Wang Q, Geng Y. Experimental study and prediction model for non-uniform shrinkage of recycled aggregate concrete in composite slabs. Construction and Building Materials, 2022, 329: 127142

[29] Al-deen S, Ranzi G. Effects of non-uniform shrinkage on the long-term behaviour of composite steel-concrete slabs. International Journal of Steel Structures, 2015, 15(2): 415–432

[30] Wei Y, Gao X, Hansen W. Influential depth by water absorption and surface drying in concrete slabs. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2013, 2342(1): 76–82

[31] Xue S, Zhang P, Lehmann E H, Hovind J, Wittmann F H. Neutron radiography of water exchange across the interface between old and fresh mortar. Measurement, 2021, 183(7): 109882

[32] Alderete N M, Villagrán Zaccardi Y A, de Belie N. Physical evidence of swelling as the cause of anomalous capillary water uptake by cementitious materials. Cement and Concrete Research, 2019, 120: 256–266

[33] Lukovic M, Ye G, Schlangen E, Van Breugel K. Moisture movement in cement-based repair systems monitored by X-ray absorption. Heron, 2017, 62(1): 21–45

[34] LederleR E. Accounting for Warping and Differential Drying Shrinkage Mechanisms in the Design of Jointed Plain Concrete Pavements. Houghton: Michigan Technological University, 2011

[35] de la Varga I, Muñoz J F, Bentz D P, Spragg R P, Stutzman P E, Graybeal B A. Grout-concrete interface bond performance: Effect of interface moisture on the tensile bond strength and grout microstructure. Construction and Building Materials, 2018, 170: 747–756

[36] Omar B, Fattoum K, Maissen B. Influence of the roughness and moisture of the substrate surface on the bond between old and new concrete. Contemporary Engineering Sciences, 2010, 3(3): 139–147

[37] van Der Putten J, Azima M, van den Heede P, van Mullem T, Snoeck D, Carminati C, Hovind J, Trtik P, de Schutter G, van Tittelboom K. Neutron radiography to study the water ingress via the interlayer of 3D printed cementitious materials for continuous layering. Construction and Building Materials, 2020, 258: 119587

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Buildwise (Belgium Building Research Institute) for the financial support of this PhD work and especially Julie Piérard, Khadija El Cheikh and Johan Vyncke for their support. Additionally, the authors thank the technicians and fellow researchers of the Magnel–Vandepitte laboratory for their help during the experiments. The authors want to acknowledge EcoCem Benelux B.V. to supply of the slag material.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2024 Higher Education Press