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This technical letter gives a concise overview of the state-of-the-art in concrete pumping. It outlines the different pump systems, briefly describes the general flow behavior of concrete in pipes, and addresses the main challenges of pumping. It also elaborates upon factors influencing the pumping behavior and how to control the pumping process.

Concrete core samples extracted from the base of the 50-year-old reactor building at the Unterweser nuclear power plant in Germany were analyzed using contemporary and complementary experimental techniques. The analysis focused on qualitative and quantitative assessments of the mineralogical composition of ingredients, mixture composition, aggregate size distribution, presence of cracks, porosity, and compressive strength. Optical microscopy revealed insignificant micro-cracking in the concrete matrix, while the presence of blast furnace slag was clearly visible. Petrographic analysis of polished and thin sections has enabled the estimation of the concrete mixture composition and the grain size characteristics of the aggregates. The aggregates consist of quartz, silt, and volcanic rock with minor amounts of fossil-bearing grains. Pore size distribution obtained from mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) reveals that the concrete has a relatively refined pore structure. Hydration products in the matrix, i.e., hardened paste, were analyzed using powder X-ray diffraction (p-XRD) and thermogravimetry (TGA). Furthermore, backscattered electron (BSE SEM) image analysis was conducted to quantify the original mixture composition, including cement and slag contents, and water/binder ratio. This study emphasizes strategic and practical aspects of conducting in-depth analysis on hardened concrete samples that are several decades old and may serve as a general guideline for similar inquiries in diverse concrete structures.

ABSTRACTThree-dimensional (3D) printing has been profoundly changing the production mode of traditional industries. However, this technique is usually limited to metre-scale fabrication, which prevents large-scale 3D printing (LS3DP) applications such as the manufacturing of buildings, aircraft, ships, and rockets. LS3DP faces great challenges, particularly, it not only requires confronting problems not yet solved by conventional 3D printing, such as the inability to print functional structures due to limitations by single-material manufacturing, but also needs to overcome the size effect limitation of large-scale printing. Here, we systematically review the state of the art in the integration of materials and technologies in LS3DP. We also demonstrate some disruptive engineering cases of LS3DP in the field of construction. The challenges and strategies for overcoming size constraints to achieve LS3DP of functional structures are discussed, including multifunctional 3D printing processes from nano- to large-scale and large-scale 4D printing processes, diverse printable materials and sustainable structures, horizontal and vertical size-independent printers, collaborative and intelligent control of the entire process, and extreme environment printing. These strategies can provide tremendous opportunities for the fully automated, intelligent, and unmanned production of these different material megastructures and internal multiscale multifunctional components such as buildings/structures, aerospace vehicles, and marine equipment.

Digital concrete technologies, such as 3D concrete printing, have the potential to be game changers in the construction industry by reducing material consumption and offering a high level of automation. This not only provides a solution to the shortage of qualified workers but also makes construction sites more attractive workplaces. However, a significant challenge lies in integrating reinforcement, as traditional methods quickly reach their limits, particularly in geometrically complex, material-minimized structures. A potential solution is the use of mineral-impregnated carbon fibers (MCF) reinforcement, which offers high flexibility for 3D printing and better bonding to concrete compared to polymer coating, among other advantages. This article presents the integration of both freshly impregnated and cured MCF into two different concretes in the context of digital fabrication: 3D-printed concrete (3DPC) and self-compacting concrete (SCC). A particular focus was on the mechanical performance of MCF and MCF-reinforced concrete, as well as on the bond behavior between MCF and concrete. The second focus was on the production method. Therefore, samples were conventionally cast with SCC, while layered pouring or printing were used for producing specimens with 3DPC. It was found that the cured MCF exhibited a notably better bond, enhanced by 50%, to both 3DPC and SCC compared to freshly impregnated yarns. Subsequently, when subjected to uniaxial tensile loading, a significantly higher crack density and more uniform crack distribution could be observed in composites with cured MCF using digital image correlation (DIC). This effect was particularly pronounced in printed specimens and confirmed with computed tomography (CT) and environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) images.

Superabsorbent polymers (SAP) are highly promising chemical admixtures for concrete, offering numerous advantages in terms of water control within the mixture. These polymers present exciting possibilities for enhancing the rheological properties of fresh concrete and addressing challenges related to autogenous and plastic shrinkage through internal curing. An interesting characteristic of SAP is their ability to create stable pore systems regardless of the consistency of the concrete, the addition of superplasticizers, or the chosen method of placement and compaction. As a result, SAP emerges as a viable alternative to air-entrainment agents. While the benefits of using SAP are evident, there is a lack of standards regulating their application by concrete producers. In this regard, the recommendations offered by RILEM may pave the path toward formal regulation. This article aims to provide an overview of these recommendations.

This work was dedicated to the simulation of fiber composite structures consisting of carbon fibers and mineral impregnation. The aim of this study was to generate a micromodel that predicts the properties of a mineral-impregnated carbon fiber reinforcement. The numerical characterization was based on the discrete microscopic modeling of the individual phases using a representative volume element. In addition, the stochastic nature of the fiber strength, the anisotropic damage mechanisms of the brittle matrix, and the non-linear bonding behavior between the filaments and the matrix were considered in the material models. The material models were adjusted based on the literature sources and our own experimental investigations. This was followed by the validation of the representative volume element, quantifying the evolution of stiffness and damage under longitudinal tensile loading. The numerical results of material stiffness, as well as the tensile strength of the representative volume element, were compared with the results of the experimental investigations. To verify the robustness of the numerical model, significant model parameters were subjected to a sensitivity analysis.

Highlights Carbon-negative construction materials can be realised by emerging biochar applications. Incorporation of biochar can mitigate CO2 emissions and natural resource depletion. Biochar as construction materials foster the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals.

Nature provides various templates for integrating organic and inorganic materials to create high-performance composites. Biological structures such as nacre and the structural elements of the glass sponge are built up in layers, leading to remarkable fracture toughness. In this work, the brick-and-mortar and layer-by-layer structures found in these biological examples have been abstracted and implemented by using an aqueous polymer dispersion in combination with nanoclay particles and sodium water glass. These dispersions were used as impregnation of carbon rovings in order to form bio-inspired contact zones towards the concrete matrix. The bonding behavior was investigated using the Yarn Pull-Out (YPO) test, and a beneficial behavior of the layered polymer–nanoclay dispersions was observed. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to determine the organic impregnation content of the roving. Further, light microscopy of the roving cross-sections prior to YPO and visual analyses of the fractured contact zone of split concrete specimens provided information on the quality of the impregnation and the interaction with the concrete matrix.

Of all industrial sectors, the construction industry accounts for about 37% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This encompasses the complete life cycle of buildings, from the construction phase to service life to component disposal. The main source of emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases such as CO2, with a share of 9% of global emissions, is the production of ordinary cement as the main binder of concrete. The use of innovative approaches such as impregnated carbon yarns as non-corrosive reinforcement embedded in concrete has the potential to dramatically reduce the amount of concrete required in construction, since no excessive concrete cover is needed to protect against corrosion, as is the case with steel reinforcement. At the same time, architectural design options are expanded via this approach. This is achieved above all using novel robotic manufacturing technologies to enable no-cut direct fiber placement. This innovative technological approach to fabricating 2D and 3D biologically inspired textiles, including non-metallic structures for textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) components, will promote an automatable construction method that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the impregnated yarn which is fabricated enables the production of load-adapted and gradual non-metallic reinforcement components. Novel and improved design strategies with innovative reinforcement patterns allow the full mechanical potential of TRC to be realized. The development of a robotic fabrication technology has gone beyond the state of the art to implement spatially branched, biologically inspired 3D non-metallic reinforcement structures. A combined robotic fabrication technology, based on the developed flexible 3D yarn-guiding and impregnation module and a 3D yarn fixation module, is required to implement this sophisticated approach to fabricate freely formed 3D non-metallic reinforcement structures. This paper presents an overview of the development process of the innovative technological concept.

Carbon concrete is a new, promising class of materials in the construction industry. This corrosion-resistant reinforcement material leads to a reduction in the concrete cover required for medial shielding. This enables lean construction and the conservation of concrete and energy-intensive cement manufacturing. Bar-type reinforcement is essential for heavily loaded structures. The newly developed helix pultrusion is the first process capable of producing carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) reinforcement bars with a topological surface in a single pultrusion process step, with fiber orientation tailored to the specific loads. The manufacturing feasibility and load-bearing capacity were thoroughly tested and compared with other design and process variants. Approaches to increase stiffness and strength while maintaining good concrete anchorage have been presented and fabricated. Tensile testing of the helical rebar variants with a 7.2 mm lead-bearing cross-section was conducted using adapted wedge grips with a 300 mm restraint length. The new helix geometry variants achieved, on average, 40% higher strengths and almost reached the values of the base material. Concrete pull-out tests were carried out to evaluate the bond properties. The helix contour design caused the bar to twist out of the concrete test specimen. Utilizing the Rilem beam test setup, the helical contour bars could also be tested. Compared with the original helix variant, the pull-out forces could be increased from 8.5 kN to up to 22.4 kN, i.e., by a factor of 2.5. It was thus possible to derive a preferred solution that is optimally suited for use in carbon concrete.

Despite all their advantages, load-bearing concrete shell structures with double curvatures are not frequently in use. The main reason is the complexity of their construction. In such a context, this article starts with a brief, critical review of existing technologies while their pros and cons are highlighted. Against that background, the authors propose a new approach for the highly automated fabrication of gridshell structures from variable modules reinforced with textile meshes. To demonstrate the feasibility of such a new technology, a demonstrator called ConDIT 1.0, a sphere-like shell structure composed of several frames, was designed and built. The frame modules were fabricated automatically using extrusion-based 3D printing and a printable, strain-hardening cement-based composite (SHCC). This article presents the design of ConDIT 1.0, the mechanical material characterization of printed SHCC, the technology of module production, the results of geometry verification for print modules using 3D scanning, and the procedure for the demonstrator’s assembly.

Textile reinforcements have established themselves as a convincing alternative to conventional steel reinforcements in the building industry. In contrast to ribbed steel bars that ensure a stable mechanical interlock with concrete (form fit), the bonding force of smooth carbon rovings has so far been transmitted primarily by an adhesive bonding with the concrete matrix (material fit). However, this material fit does not enable the efficient use of the mechanical load capacity of the textile reinforcement. Solutions involving surface-profiled rods promise significant improvements in the bonding behavior by creating an additional mechanical interlock with the concrete matrix. An initial analysis was carried out to determine the effect of a braided rod geometry on the bonding behavior. For this purpose, novel braided rods with defined surface profiling consisting of several carbon filament yarns were developed and characterized in their tensile and bond properties. Further fundamental examinations to determine the influence of the impregnation as well as the application of a pre-tension during its consolidation in order to minimize the rod elongation under load were carried out. The investigations showed a high potential of the impregnated surface-profiled braided rods for a highly efficient application in concrete reinforcements. Hereby, a complete impregnation of the rod with a stiff polymer improved the tensile and bonding properties significantly. Compared to unprofiled reinforcement structures, the specific bonding stress could be increased up to 500% due to the strong form-fit effect of the braided rods while maintaining the high tensile properties.

The load-bearing behavior and the performance of composites depends largely on the bond between the individual components. In reinforced concrete construction, the bond mechanisms are very well researched. In the case of carbon and textile reinforced concrete, however, there is still a need for research, especially since there is a greater number of influencing parameters. Depending on the type of fiber, yarn processing, impregnation, geometry, or concrete, the proportion of adhesive, frictional, and shear bond in the total bond resistance varies. In defined profiling of yarns, we see the possibility to increase the share of the shear bond (form fit) compared to yarns with a relatively smooth surface and, through this, to reliably control the bond resistance. In order to investigate the influence of profiling on the bond and tensile behavior, yarns with various profile characteristics as well as different impregnation and consolidation parameters are studied. A newly developed profiling technique is used for creating a defined tetrahedral profile. In the article, we present this approach and the first results from tensile and bond tests as well as micrographic analysis with profiled yarns. The study shows that bond properties of profiled yarns are superior to conventional yarns without profile, and a defined bond modification through variation of the profile geometry as well as the impregnation and consolidation parameters is possible.

The article at hand is envisaged to enumerate significant technological parameters for the successful impregnation of carbon fiber rovings having 50,000 (50 K) filaments, each within a fine-grained, cementitious suspension. Parameters such as the number of rollers as well as the influence of roller deflection and rotation have been investigated and discussed with regard to the quality of the related impregnation and mechanical properties resulting therefrom. Morphological analysis disclosed distinct differences in the fiber matrix distribution, which are particularly reflected in the flexural performance of the mineral-impregnated carbon fibers (MCFs) produced. Moreover, with the best fiber matrix distribution, uniaxial tensile tests on MCFs demonstrated superior tensile strengths, moduli of elasticity, and elongations at rupture.

Strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC) are a novel class of fiber-reinforced concretes which exhibit high tensile strain capacity prior to failure localization. Although the tensile behavior of SHCC has been a matter of study in numerous research works, the behavior of these composites under other loading modes has scarcely been investigated. The article at hand addresses the mechanical behavior of two types of normal-strength SHCC subject to uniaxial tension, torsion, and combinations of torsional and axial loading. The SHCC under investigation were made with polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA) and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers, respectively. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) was applied to evaluate the multiple cracking process and crack opening modes in conjunction with the axial and torsional loading histories. The study demonstrates the suitability of torsion experiments to assess the multi-axial and shear performance of SHCC, highlights the relation between multiple cracking and transfer capacity for shear forces, and emphasizes the importance of the type of reinforcing fibers on the shear strength and ductility of such composites.

The influence of fiber type on the mechanical behavior of high-strength strain-hardening cement-based composites (HS-SHCC) during and after exposure to elevated temperatures of up to 200 °C was investigated. The fibers under investigation were made of ultra-high molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), para-aramid-copolymer (Aramid) and as as-spun and high-modulus poly(p-phenylen-2,6-benzobisoxazol), i.e., PBO-AS and PBO-HM. Based on the considerably higher thermal stability of Aramid and PBO fibers in comparison to UHMWPE, the effect of elevated temperatures on the tensile behavior of SHCC made with Aramid and PBO was expected to be less pronounced. Nevertheless, the SHCC made with UHMWPE fiber yielded a significantly superior multiple cracking and pre-peak ductility up to 150 °C both during and after thermal exposure. At 105 °C, the SHCC reinforced with UHMWPE fiber yielded only a small reduction in tensile strength and a considerable increase in strain capacity. The composites made with Aramid and PBO fibers yielded a pronounced degradation in tensile strength and strain capacity already at 105 °C and a considerably weaker recovery of ductility when cooled down to the room temperature. At 200 °C all composites except those containing Aramid fiber exhibited no multiple cracking and brittle failure with dramatically reduced tensile strength.

Proper management of hazardous materials arouses widespread environmental concerns due to its enormous ecological and health impacts. The development of green stabilization/solidification (S/S) technology for resourceful utilization of hazardous materials, as well as the immobilization of potentially toxic elements is of great scientific interests. Cement-based S/S is often considered a low-cost and highly efficient technology, but the environmental sustainability of a broad spectrum of S/S technologies has yet to be evaluated. Therefore, this study assessed the environmental sustainability of S/S technologies for managing two common types of hazardous wastes, i.e., contaminated marine sediment and municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MIFA) by using life cycle assessment (LCA). A total of 17 scenarios under three strategies for sediment and two strategies for MIFA S/S technologies were comprehensively evaluated. The LCA results identified the most preferable S/S technology in each strategy. In particular, Scenario 1 (mixture of sediment with a small percentage of ordinary Portland cement and incinerated sewage sludge ash) of Strategy 1 (use as fill materials) would be the preferred option, as it reduces about 54% and 70% global warming potential compared to those of Scenarios 2 and 3, respectively. This is the first initiative for evaluating the environmental impacts of a wide range of recently developed S/S technologies using green/alternative binders for diverting hazardous wastes from disposal. The results can serve as a decision support for the practical application of the environmentally friendly S/S technology for sustainable remediation.

The creation of concrete shells from customized prefabricated modules is a novel approach that facilitates the construction of free-form surfaces considerably. In the framework of the Adaptive Concrete Diamond Construction (ACDC) project at TU Dresden, a material for 3D printing of the outer contours of such modules has been developed based on the principles of Strain Hardening Cementitious Composite (SHCC). In addition to its high ductility, the required material must also be suitable for 3D printing while enabling the achievement of high geometric accuracy in the manufacture of the modules. To gain the required performance, cellulose ether and starch ether were used specifically to extend the open time, for a longer period of maintaining initial workability, as well as for enhancing shape stability and surface quality. An extensive experimental program was carried out to evaluate the outcomes of the material modifications, including flow table tests, water retention tests, and several specific tests to determine the adhesiveness of the fresh SHCC. For hardened SHCC, surface roughness was assessed using a laser 3D scanner in addition to testing its mechanical properties.

The article describes the adaption and properties of a model concrete for detailed flow studies. To adapt the yield stress and plastic viscosity of the model concrete to the corresponding rheological properties of real concrete, the model concrete is made of a mixture of glass beads and a non-Newtonian fluid. The refractive index of the non-Newtonian fluid is adjusted to the refractive index of the glass beads by the addition of a further constituent. The rheological properties of the model concrete are characterised by measurements in concrete rheometers. Finally, the first exemplary results from experiments with the model concrete are presented, which give incipient impressions of the complex internal dynamics in flowing concrete.

The mechanical behaviour of strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC) under monotonic tensile loading has been the subject of research for many years. The recent research on the SHCC’s performance under cyclic loading has enabled the identification of a wide variety of damage phenomena different to those observed under monotonic loading. The article at hand first summarises the experimental evidence of such phenomena in the context of the material performance observed. On this basis, the mechanisms behind these phenomena are discussed and explained using rheological modelling.

Strain-hardening cement-based composites are a promising class of materials for a wide variety of applications due to their considerable tensile strength and pronounced ductility caused by the development of multiple fine cracks. Nevertheless, the safe use of such composites requires sound knowledge of their mechanical behaviour under different types of loading, particularly under fatigue loading, while considering distinct influences like initial crack width and fibre orientation. To deepen this knowledge, single-fibre pull-out tests on PVA-fibres from a cementitious matrix were carried out to gain information about the micro-mechanical and degradation processes of the fibre. It could be shown that the fibres tend to rupture instead of being pulled out under quasi-static loading. When changing the loading regime to alternating loading, this failure mechanism shifts to pull-out. By varying the experimental parameters such as initial crack width, inclination angle or compressive-force level a clear influence on the fibre’s crack bridging capacity could be observed associated with effects on the degradation processes. Based on the data obtained, a micro-mechanical numerical model was developed to support the assumptions and observations from single-fibre pull-out tests and to enable predictions of the performance of the material on the microscale under cyclic loading.

The paper presents a finite element investigation of the effect of material composition and the constituents’ interaction on the tensile behavior of strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC) both with and without textile reinforcement. The input material parameters for the SHCC and continuous reinforcement models, as well for their bond, were adopted from reference experimental investigations. The textile reinforcement was discretized by truss elements in the loaded direction only, with the constitutive relationships simulating a carbon and a polymer textile, respectively. For realistic simulation of macroscopic tensile response and multiple cracking patterns in hybrid fiber-reinforced composites subjected to tension, a multi-scale and probabilistic approach was adopted. SHCC was simulated using the smeared crack model, and the input constitutive law reflected the single-crack opening behavior. The probabilistic definition and spatial fluctuation of matrix strength and tensile strength of the SHCC enabled realistic multiple cracking and fracture localization within the loaded model specimens. Two-dimensional (2D) simulations enabled a detailed material assessment with reasonable computational effort and showed adequate accuracy in predicting the experimental findings in terms of macroscopic stress–strain properties, extent of multiple cracking, and average crack width. Besides material optimization, the model is suitable for assessing the strengthening performance of hybrid fiber-reinforced composites on structural elements.

Superabsorbent polymers (SAP) are new, very promising multipurpose chemical admixtures for concrete. They make available a number of new possibilities with respect to the control of free water in the mixture. In turn they contribute to the control of the rheological properties of fresh concrete and to the mitigation of autogenous and plastic shrinkage through internal curing. Furthermore, pore systems built up as a result of SAP addition seem to remain stable regardless of the consistency of the concrete, the addition of superplasticizers, or the method of placement and compacting. Thus, SAP can be used as an alternative to air-entrainment agents. This article presents these and other potential practical applications of SAP in concrete construction.

Extrusion is a process that consists in forcing a formable material to pass through a die having the cross-section of the part to be obtained. This way of processing is used with conventional and fibre-reinforced cement-based materials to fabricate various construction elements such as panels, pipes and roadside curbs. Recently, with the development of digital fabrication methods and especially 3D concrete printing by selective deposition, the extrusion techniques have experienced a significant increase in interest. This letter describes the screw and ram extrusion techniques and their applications in construction industry. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms involved during extrusion flow are delineated and the roles of rheological and hydro-mechanical behaviours (the latter one in a soil mechanics sense) in defining the extrudability – ability of being extruded – of the cementitious materials are highlighted. Finally, specific points such as flow-induced anisotropy of fibre reinforced cementitious materials or surface defects are addressed.

A waste-originated one-part alkali-activated nanocomposite is introduced herein as a novel thermoelectric material. For this purpose, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were utilized as nanoinclusions to create an electrically conductive network within the investigated alkali-activated construction material. Thermoelectric and microstructure characteristics of SWCNT-alkali-activated nanocomposites were assessed after 28 days. Nanocomposites with 1.0 wt.% SWCNTs exhibited a multifunctional behavior, a combination of structural load-bearing, electrical conductivity, and thermoelectric response. These nanocomposites (1.0 wt.%) achieved the highest thermoelectric performance in terms of power factor (PF), compared to the lower SWCNTs’ incorporations, namely 0.1 and 0.5 wt.%. The measured electrical conductivity (σ) and Seebeck coefficient (S) were 1660 S·m−1 and 15.8 µV·K−1, respectively, which led to a power factor of 0.414 μW·m−1·K−2. Consequently, they have been utilized as the building block of a thermoelectric generator (TEG) device, which demonstrated a maximum power output (Pout) of 0.695 µW, with a power density (PD) of 372 nW·m−2, upon exposure to a temperature gradient of 60 K. The presented SWCNT-alkali-activated nanocomposites could establish the pathway towards waste thermal energy harvesting and future sustainable civil engineering structures.

In strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC), polypropylene (PP) fibers are often used to provide ductility through micro crack-bridging, in particular when subjected to high loading rates. For the purposeful material design of SHCC, fundamental research is required to understand the failure mechanisms depending on the mechanical properties of the fibers and the fiber–matrix interaction. Hence, PP fibers with diameters between 10 and 30 µm, differing tensile strength levels and Young’s moduli, but also circular and trilobal cross-sections were produced using melt-spinning equipment. The structural changes induced by the drawing parameters during the spinning process and surface modification by sizing were assessed in single-fiber tensile experiments and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the fiber material. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle measurements were applied to determine the topographical and wetting properties of the fiber surface. The fiber–matrix interaction under quasi-static and dynamic loading was studied in single-fiber pull-out experiments (SFPO). The main findings of microscale characterization showed that increased fiber tensile strength in combination with enhanced mechanical interlocking caused by high surface roughness led to improved energy absorption under dynamic loading. Further enhancement could be observed in the change from a circular to a trilobal fiber cross-section.

In this study, the strain rate sensitivity of five different thermoplastic polymers processed via Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) Additive Manufacturing (AM) is reported. Namely, Polylactic Acid (PLA), Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS), Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG), Polyamide 6 (PA6), and Polypropylene (PP) were thoroughly investigated under static tensile loading conditions at different strain rates. Strain rates have been selected representing the most common applications of polymeric materials manufactured by Three-Dimensional (3D) Printing. Each polymer was exposed to five different strain rates in order to elucidate the dependency and sensitivity of the tensile properties, i.e., stiffness, strength, and toughness on the applied strain rate. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was employed to investigate the 3D printed samples’ fractured surfaces, as a means to derive important information regarding the fracture process, the type of fracture (brittle or ductile), as well as correlate the fractured surface characteristics with the mechanical response under certain strain rate conditions. An Expectation–Maximization (EM) analysis was carried out. Finally, a comparison is presented calculating the strain rate sensitivity index “m” and toughness of all materials at the different applied strain rates.

The paper at hand presents an investigation of the tensile behavior of high-strength, strain-hardening cement-based composites (HS-SHCC), reinforced with a single layer of continuous, two-dimensional textile made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). Uniaxial tension tests were performed on the bare UHMWPE textiles, on plain HS-SHCC, and on the hybrid fiber-reinforced composites. The bond properties between the textile yarns and the surrounding composite were investigated in single-yarn pullout experiments. In order to assess the influence of bond strength between the yarn and HS-SHCC on the tensile behavior of the composites with hybrid fiber reinforcement, the textile samples were analyzed both with, and without, an additional coating of epoxy resin and sand. Compared to the composites reinforced with carbon yarns in previous studies by the authors, the high elongation capacity of the UHMWPE textile established the higher strain capacity of the hybrid fiber-reinforced composites, and showed superior energy absorption capacity up to failure. The UHMWPE textile limited the average crack width in comparison with that of plain HS-SHCC, but led to slightly larger crack widths when compared to equivalent composites reinforced with carbon textile, the reason for which was traced back to the lower Young’s modulus and the higher elongation capacity of the polymer textile.

This paper presents a numerical two-scale framework for the simulation of fiber reinforced concrete under impact loading. The numerical homogenization framework considers the full balance of linear momentum at the microscale. This allows for the study of microscopic inertia effects affecting the macroscale. After describing the ideas of the dynamic framework and the material models applied at the microscale, the experimental behavior of the fiber and the fiber–matrix bond under varying loading rates are discussed. To capture the most important features, a simplified matrix cracking and a strain rate sensitive fiber pullout model are utilized at the microscale. A split Hopkinson tension bar test is used as an example to present the capabilities of the framework to analyze different sources of dynamic behavior measured at the macroscale. The induced loading wave is studied and the influence of structural inertia on the measured signals within the simulation are verified. Further parameter studies allow the analysis of the macroscopic response resulting from the rate dependent fiber pullout as well as the direct study of the microscale inertia. Even though the material models and the microscale discretization used within this study are simplified, the value of the numerical two-scale framework to study material behavior under impact loading is demonstrated.

The ductile behavior of strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC) under direct tensile load makes them promising solutions in applications where high energy dissipation is needed, such as in earthquakes, impacts by projectiles, or blasts. However, the superior tensile ductility of SHCC due to multiple cracking does not necessarily point to compressive and shear ductility. As an effort to characterize the behavior of SHCC under impact compressive and shear loading relevant to the aforementioned high-speed loading scenarios, the paper at hand studies the performance of a particular SHCC and its constituent, cement-based matrices using the split-Hopkinson bar method. For compression experiments, cylindrical specimens with a length-to-diameter ratio (l/d) of 1.6 were used. The selected length of the sample led to similar failure modes under quasi-static and impact loading conditions, necessary to a reliable comparison of the observed compressive strengths. The impact experiments were performed in a split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) at a strain rate that reached 110 s−1 at the moment of failure. For shear experiments, a special adapter was developed for a split-Hopkinson tension bar (SHTB). The adapter enabled impact shear experiments to be performed on planar specimens using the tensile wave generated in the SHTB. Results showed dynamic increase factors (DIF) of 2.3 and 2.0 for compressive and shear strength of SHCC, respectively. As compared to the non-reinforced constituent matrix, the absolute value of the compressive strength was lower for the SHCC. Contrarily, under shear loading, the SHCC demonstrated higher shear strength than the non-reinforced matrix.

The determination of crack propagation velocities can provide valuable information for a better understanding of damage processes of concrete. The spatio-temporal analysis of crack patterns developing at a speed of several hundred meters per second is a rather challenging task. In the paper, a photogrammetric procedure for the determination of crack propagation velocities in concrete specimens using high-speed camera image sequences is presented. A cascaded image sequence processing which starts with the computation of displacement vector fields for a dense pattern of points on the specimen’s surface between consecutive time steps of the image sequence chain has been developed. These surface points are triangulated into a mesh, and as representations of cracks, discontinuities in the displacement vector fields are found by a deformation analysis applied to all triangles of the mesh. Connected components of the deformed triangles are computed using region-growing techniques. Then, the crack tips are determined using the principal component analysis. The tips are tracked in the image sequence and the velocities between the time stamps of the images are derived. A major advantage of this method as compared to the established techniques is in the fact that it allows spatio-temporally resolved, full-field measurements rather than point-wise measurements. Furthermore, information on the crack width can be obtained simultaneously. To validate the experimentation, the authors processed image sequences of tests on four compact-tension specimens performed on a split-Hopkinson tension bar. The images were taken by a high-speed camera at a frame rate of 160,000 images per second. By applying the developed image sequence processing procedure to these datasets, crack propagation velocities of about 800 m/s were determined with a precision in the order of 50 m/s.

The use of high-performance polymeric microfibres in enhancing the ductility of cementitious composites is widespread. A vivid example is the application of strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCCs) in the construction industry. However, there are a few challenges which need to be addressed with respect to material design. For instance, the ductility of SHCC diminishes under alternating tension–compression loading, where the fibres lose their crack-bridging capacity due to specific damage mechanisms. The damage development and its influence on crack-bridging capacity have been studied in previous works by the authors. The paper at hand focuses on the influence of crack width on the crack-bridging capacity of polymeric microfibres in conjunction with the number of cycles in an alternating tension–compression regime with different cyclic compressive force levels. It shows that bridging capacity can be markedly influenced by crack width: an increase in crack width leads to more severe damage to the fibres and thus to lower crack-bridging capacity. Then, after analysing the specimens by means of electron microscopy, a hypothesis is presented to address the effect of crack width on damage development. Finally, a simple approach is proposed for estimating the influence of different parameters on fibre degradation.

Additive manufacturing with cement-based materials needs sound approaches for the direct, seamless integration of reinforcement into structural and non-structural elements during their fabrication. Mineral-impregnated Carbon-Fibre (MCF) composites represent a new type of non-corrosive reinforcement that offers great potential in this regard. MCF not only exhibits high performance with respect to its mechanical characteristics and durability, but it also can be processed and shaped easily in the fresh state and, what is more, automated. This article describes different concepts for the continuous, fully automated integration of MCF reinforcement into 3D concrete printing based on layered extrusion. Moreover, for one of the approaches presented and discussed, namely 3D concrete printing with MCF supply from a continuous, stationary impregnation line and deposition of MCF between concrete filaments, a feasibility study was performed using a gantry 3D printer. Small-scale walls were printed and eventually used for the production of specimens for mechanical testing. Three-point bend tests performed on two different beam geometries showed a significant enhancement of both flexural strength and, more especially, deformability of the specimens reinforced with MCF in comparison to the specimens made of plain concrete.

In this paper, the authors have focused on shear-induced particle migration (SIPM), its effect on concrete flow patterns, and lubricating layer formation during pumping. For this purpose, various volume-fractions ϕ of aggregates were selected. The particle migration was analyzed by applying two methods: sampling hardened concrete exposed to pumping and performing X-ray microcomputed tomography (μCT) and image analysis to determine the thickness of the lubricating layer due to SIPM. The results indicate that the first approach is unsuitable due to the nearly equal molecular density of particles and matrix. The second approach indicated that the actual thickness of the lubricating layer depends on the discharge rate as well as on ϕ and viscosity of concrete bulk; hence, it cannot be defined as a constant parameter for all concrete mixtures. Additionally, the concrete pipe-flow pattern, i.e., plug versus shear flow, was captured and studied while considering pumping pressure and discharge rate. It was concluded that particle migration is essential in the cases of both flowable and very flowable concretes with a high volume-fraction of solids. The changes in rheological properties caused by SIPM are severe enough to influence the definition of the flow pattern as plug or shear and the discharge rate of pumped concrete as well.

With increasing interest in the use of additive manufacturing techniques in the construction industry, static rheological properties of fresh concrete have necessarily come into focus. In particular, the knowledge and control of static yield stress (SYS) and its development over time are crucial for mastering formwork-free construction, e.g., by means of layered extrusion. Furthermore, solid understanding of the influences of various concrete constituents on the initial SYS of the mixture and the structural build-up rate is required for purposeful material design. This contribution is concentrated on the effect of aggregates on these rheological parameters. The volume fraction of aggregates was varied in the range of 35% to 55% by volume under condition of constant total surface area of the particles. The total surface area per unit volume of cement paste was equal to 5.00, 7.25 and 10.00 m²/L, conditioned on the constant volume fraction of aggregates. Both variations were enabled by changing the particle size distributions of the aggregates while holding the cement paste composition constant for all concrete mixtures. To characterise the SYS and the structural build-up, constant shear rate tests with a vane-geometry rotational rheometer were performed. It was found that in the ranges under investigation the variation in volume fraction had a more pronounced effect on the static rheological properties of concrete than did the variation in surface area. An accurate mathematical description of the relationship between the initial SYS of concrete and the relative volume fraction of aggregate based on the Chateau–Ovarlez–Trung model was proposed. Challenges in deriving a similar relationship for the structural build-up rate of concrete were highlighted.

The paper at hand focuses on the tensile behavior of ductile cementitious composites reinforced with short, randomly distributed, polymer fibers and a continuous carbon textile under quasi-static and impact loading. Strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCCs) made of high strength fine-grained matrix with the addition of a 2% volume fraction of 6 mm-long ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers and as-spun poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole) (PBO-AS) fibers, respectively, were reinforced with one layer of carbon textile, which corresponds to a 0.68% volume fraction. The same fine-grained matrix reinforced with carbon textile only served as the reference material. The synergetic action of the two reinforcement types was investigated in uniaxial tension tests on composite specimens, as well as by means of single-yarn pullout tests at displacement rates of 0.05 mm/s in a hydraulic testing machine, and 8 m/s in a tensile split Hopkinson bar. The specimen’s deformations, the formation of cracks, and the fracture processes were monitored optically and subsequently evaluated using digital image correlation (DIC).

Three-dimensional (3D) printing with foam concrete, which is known for its distinct physical and mechanical properties, has not yet been purposefully investigated. The article at hand presents a methodological approach for the mixture design of 3D-printable foam concretes and a systematic investigation of the potential application of this type of material in digital construction. Three different foam concrete compositions with water-to-binder ratios between 0.33−0.36 and densities of 1100 to 1580 kg/m3 in the fresh state were produced with a prefoaming technique using a protein-based foaming agent. Based on the fresh-state tests, including 3D printing as such, an optimum composition was identified, and its compressive and flexural strengths were characterized. The printable foam concrete showed low thermal conductivity and relatively high compressive strengths of above 10 MPa; therefore, it fulfilled the requirements for building materials used for load-bearing wall elements in multi-story houses. Thus, it is suitable for 3D-printing applications, while fulfilling both load-carrying and insulating functions.

This paper investigates the effect of polypropylene (PP) fibres on the fresh and hardened properties of 3D-printed fibre-reinforced geopolymer mortars. Different percentages of PP fibres ranging between 0.25% and 1.00% by volume were added to an optimised geopolymer mixture. All samples showed reasonable workability and extrudability. In addition, shape-retention ability in the fresh state was investigated as a major requirement for 3D-printing. The compressive strength of the printed specimens was tested in the hardened state in three loading directions, viz. longitudinal, perpendicular, and lateral. The flexural strength of samples was also tested in the longitudinal and lateral directions. In addition, the interlayer bond strength was investigated. Fibre addition seems to influence compressive strengths positively only when the loading is perpendicular to the interface plane. This is due to the preferential fibre alignment parallel to the direction of extrusion. The addition of fibre significantly enhanced the flexural performance of the printed samples. The use of fibre dosages of 0.75 and 1.00 vol % caused deflection-hardening behaviour of the 3D-printed geopolymers and, hence, a significantly higher fracture energy in comparison to specimens without fibre or with lower fibre content. However, an increase in the fibre volume caused some minor reduction in interlayer bond strength. With respect to properties in the fresh state, higher fibre volumes caused better shape-retention ability in the printed samples. The results indicate the possibility of printing fibre-reinforced geopolymers which meet all the necessary properties in both the fresh and hardened states.

Incorporating reinforcement into the practice of digital concrete construction, often called 3D-concrete-printing, is a prerequisite for wide-ranging, structural applications of this new technology. Strain-Hardening Cement-based Composites (SHCC) offer one possible solution to this challenge. In this work, printable SHCC were developed and tested. The composites could be extruded through a nozzle of a 3D-printer so that continuous filaments could be deposited, one upon the other, to build lab-scaled wall specimens without noticeable deformation of the bottom layers. The specimens extracted from the printed walls exhibited multiple fine cracks and pronounced strain-hardening characteristics under uniaxial tensile loading, even for fiber volume fractions as low as 1.0%. In fact, the strain-hardening characteristics of printed specimens were superior to those of mold-cast SHCC specimens.