Mechanical behaviors of 3D printed lightweight concrete structure with hollow section

A practical revolution in construction could be realized by combining the potential of 3D concrete printing with lightweight cementitious materials to fabricate adeptly hollow structures. In this study, five concrete mixtures with different replacement rates of lightweight ceramsite sand to silica sand are prepared for extrusion-based 3D printability evaluation. To reduce the water absorption induced shrinkage and micro-cracks, the ceramsite sands were coated with polyvinyl alcohol. An optimized cementitious material was identified by harmonizing the fresh properties to the continuous printing process. Cubic and beam elements with four different types of interior hollow structures were designed and 3D printed based on the optimized lightweight mixture. The interior structures include cellular-shaped structure, truss-like structure, lattice-shaped structure with a square topology, as well as gridding shaped structure with triangle topology. The mechanical capacities of the printed samples were measured and evaluated by compressive tests for the cubic samples and four-points flexural bending tests for the beam specimens. Basing on the results, the rectangular lattice hollow structure demonstrates the best mechanical resistance to compression and the truss-shaped prism structure ensues the highest flexural properties. The stress distribution and failure process were also explored through discrete element method.