Title:
Exploring Application of Self-Healing Capabilities in 3D-Concrete Printing and Evaluating its Effectiveness
Author(s):
Adam Biehl
Publication:
Web Session
Volume:
ws_F25_AdamBiehl.pdf
Issue:
Appears on pages(s):
Keywords:
DOI:
Date:
10/26/2025
Abstract:
3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) construction differs from traditional concrete construction due to 3DCP’s elevated binder content, anisotropic behavior, and interlayer joints, which increase the likelihood of cracking and a loss of watertightness. Repairing these cracks is a tedious process as the concrete continues to shrink and form additional cracks. An autonomous solution to heal those cracks through the inclusion of self-healing agents is a possible pathway but could display reduced levels of effectiveness along interlayer joints where the self-healing agents are unlikely to be in sufficient concentration. This study uses bacteria-based self-healing agents in 3DCP to evaluate their effectiveness in healing cracks formed under restrained shrinkage. The self-healing efficiency of bacterial-based self-healing agents was assessed at a two- and four-percent replacement of the total binder content against a control to independently assess the influence of autonomous and autogenous self-healing in 3DCP. Initial tests compared crack morphology and stress generation in 3DCP through the traditional and a modified version of the restrained shrinkage ring test. The cracks were then evaluated through a water transmission test under constant water head to determine the crack width. After curing to allow for self-healing, the crack widths were then assessed again utilizing the water transmission test, with the reduction in water transmission/crack width determining the effectiveness of the self-healing.