Experiments and Modelling of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete for 3D Printing

Dear Colleagues,

In the most recent decade, the employment of automation and digitalization in the construction sector has been growing rapidly. As the most widely used construction material, concrete has attracted intensive research interest in terms of its integration with digital manufacturing. 3D concrete printing (3DCP) is one of the novel digital manufacturing technologies introduced to the construction sector. The computer-aided and digitally controlled process of 3DCP has the potential to significantly reduce labour and material costs in construction, which introduces great economic benefits to the industry.

Similar to conventionally manufactured plain concrete, brittleness and low tensile strength are major drawbacks of 3D printed plain concrete. This may make 3D printed concrete structures or components extremely susceptible to cracking, which is unacceptable in construction engineering practice. Using fibers to reinforce 3D print cracking-resistant concrete is a direct strategy for solving this problem. Studies have shown that 3D printed fiber-reinforced concrete can exhibit improved mechanical properties in some aspects, such as flexural tensile strength and ductility. Besides obvious improvements, the adoption of fiber-reinforced concrete for 3D printing also introduces challenges in terms of the optimization of processing systems, the modification of fresh properties, and the evaluation of mechanical properties. Therefore, further research is still needed to be able to fully understand and assess the performance of 3D printed fiber-reinforced concrete ensure its application in construction.

This Special Issue covers a wide scope, comprising advances in processes, material properties, testing methods, and numerical models in the field of fiber-reinforced concrete 3D printing. Topics of particular interest include, but are not limited to:

Advancements in 3D printing process of fiber-reinforced concrete:

• Multi-material, multi-technology processing systems.
• Novel reinforcing methods for 3D printable concrete.
• Numerical methods for processes optimization.

Novel 3D printable fiber-reinforced concrete:

• New material formulations.
• Characterization of fresh and mechanical properties.
• Modelling of fresh and mechanical properties.

Dr. Yading Xu
Guest Editor

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