Title:
Reinforcing 3-D Printed Concrete Structures by Steel Nails - A Feasibility Study
Author(s):
Arnaud Perrot
Publication:
Web Session
Volume:
Issue:
Appears on pages(s):
Keywords:
DOI:
Date:
3/28/2021
Abstract:
Extrusion/deposit 3D printing of concrete is considered to be a breakthrough technology for the construction industry. It is expected that 3D printing will reduce the economic and environmental cost of construction for civil engineering structures. Following the use of this additive manufacturing layer-wise process, it is required to change the way concrete structures are designed and reinforced, especially for the parts of the structure under flexural and tensile loads. Indeed, the extrusion-based concrete 3D printing process does not allow for the production of conventional reinforced concrete, and there is a need to develop other ways of compensating for the low tensile mechanical performances of concrete. In this study, the reinforcement of printed structures by using steel nails through the deposited layers of fresh concrete was investigated. Rheological requirements of the fresh cement-based materials was assessed for the nailing process. Additionally, three-layer and 10-layer samples were reinforced with nails with varying inclination and spacing. The results show that inclined nails can be used to provide a flexural strengthening of the printing material in different directions.