Failure analysis of 3D concrete printing bolted laminates mimicking geological strata.

• Simulation of geological laminated strata by 3D concrete printing technology. • Failure mechanism of rock bolt reinforcement 3D printed concrete laminated strata. • Effect of printing and loading directions on bonding failure of 3D printed layers. 3D concrete printing has the potential to simulate physical models for engineering investigations. However, it has not been fully exploited and validated. In this study, 3D concrete printing was used to construct laminated strata, including bolting, to mimic an underground excavation environment. Loading tests were conducted using various experimental techniques, such as digital image correlation (DIC) and acoustic emissions (AE). Monotonic and cyclic loading were applied to investigate the laminate failure in an engineering scenario. Attention was focused on the bonding effect between the 3D printing layers and the orientation between printing and loading directions. This study has three main contributions. Firstly, it exploits 3D printing to accurately mimic laminated strata in a geological scenario. Secondly, it integrates rock bolts with 3D printing models to replicate the interlocking mechanism between rock bolts and strata. Finally, it highlights the benefits of using 3D concrete printing to mimic geological strata, which can be adapted to accurately simulate various engineering failure patterns. The results suggest that 3D concrete printing has the potential to decrease manual labor, enhance precision, and more effectively tackle engineering challenges in comparison to traditional physical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]