Fabrication of Reinforced 3D Concrete Printing Formwork

Abstract

In recent years, the emerging 3D printing concrete technology has been proved to be an effective and intelligent strategy compared with conventional casting concrete construction. Due to the principle of additive manufacturing strategy, this concrete extrusion technique creates great opportunities for designing freeform geometries for surface decoration since this material has a promising performance of high compressive strength, low deformation, and excellent durability. However, the structure behavior is usually questioned, defined by the thickness and printing path. At the same time, the experiments for using 3D printing elements for structural and functional parts are still insufficient. Little investigation has been made into developing reinforcement strategies compatible with 3D printing concrete. In fact, conventional formwork and easy-to-install reinforcement support structures have various advantages in terms of labor costs but can hardly be reused. Thus, using 3D concrete printing as formwork for projects in different scales is an effective solution in the mass customized prefabrication era. Considering large-scale projects, the demand to provide concrete formwork with a proper reinforcement strategy for better toughness, flexibility, and strength is necessary. In this paper, we proposed different off-site reinforced 3D printing concrete strategies and evaluated them from time and material cost, deviation, and accessibility of fabrication.