Title:
Deciphering Failure and Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Concrete Using FE Models
Author(s):
Avinaya Tripathi
Publication:
Web Session
Volume:
ws_S25_AvinayaTripathi.pdf
Issue:
Appears on pages(s):
Keywords:
DOI:
Date:
3/30/2025
Abstract:
The mechanical response of 3D printed concrete elements is significantly influenced by the print parameters used during fabrication. These parameters affect the quality of the extrudate filament, the number and quality of the interfaces between filaments, and ultimately the overall mechanical performance. While there exists an optimal combination of print parameters that yields better mechanical responses, identifying this combination experimentally is arduous and can be addressed through numerical modeling. To this end, we present a finite element (FE) model that investigates the impact of filament and interface quality on the mechanical behavior of 3D printed concrete elements. The FE model incorporates the extrudate filament quality using an orthotropic viscoelastic-viscoplastic material model and interface quality using a traction-separation law-based cohesive material model. The inter-layer and inter-filament interfaces are modeled as distinct entities to accurately capture the anisotropic mechanical response observed in 3D printed concrete. The results validate this approach, demonstrating that compression failure initiates at the interfaces, while flexural failure initiates in the filament elements near the midspan of the beam. The simulated results align closely with experimental data, typically within a 10% margin, underscoring the FE model's effectiveness in replicating the actual mechanical behavior of 3D printed concrete. Accurately replicating experimental results will aid in optimizing print parameters, leading to improved product quality and performance.