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Structural Performance Of 3D Printed Concrete Load Bearing Walls
Mohammed, Arafat Abdulrahman
Mohammed, Arafat Abdulrahman
Date
2024-06
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Advisor
Type
Thesis
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Description
A Master of Science thesis in Civil Engineering by Arafat Abdulrahman Mohammed entitled, “Structural Performance Of 3D Printed Concrete Load Bearing Walls”, submitted in June 2024. Thesis advisor is Dr. Adil Al-Tamimi. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).
Abstract
Modern construction techniques have evolved in recent years with the introduction of 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) technology. This innovative digital construction approach offers rapid, cost-effective, and sustainability solutions. The 3DCP walls used as load-bearing walls are an essential component and the primary section of the 3D printed constructions. Therefore, this study investigates the behavior of large-scale 3DCP walls under axial loading to evaluate their load-bearing capacity. The used mix consists of optimized materials, including glass fibers (GF) for reinforcement, enhancing mechanical properties, and crack resistance. Rheological testing ensured the mix’s quality and efficiency, assessing properties like extrudability, flowability, and buildability. Mechanical tests confirmed the mix as high-strength concrete with an 85 MPa compressive strength. Uniform axial compression loading tests were conducted to analyze the structural behavior, deformation, and crack patterns of 3DCP load-bearing walls with different cross-section configurations. The walls were categorized into two types: gapped walls, which include GLBW-3T (three-truss gapped wall), GLBW-4T (four-truss gapped wall), and GLBW-5T (five-truss gapped wall), and a solid wall, SLBW, which is a fully solid section designed to achieve maximum load-bearing capacity. In this study, materials consumption was a key factor in identifying the optimal and economical structural efficiency. The SLBW exhibited the highest resistance to cracking with a crack load-to-volume ratio of 4.02 N/cm³. Conversely, GLBW-3T and GLBW-5T, both featuring gapped sections with varying truss configurations, showed similar efficiency with crack load-to-volume ratios of 3.12 N/cm³ and 3.04 N/cm³, respectively. GLBW-4T demonstrated the least efficient performance, with a crack load-to-volume ratio of 2.48 N/cm³. Moreover, the crack pattern intensity and structural stability were highest in the SLBW, followed by the GLBW-3T, while, the GLBW-5T performed the least favorably. This study underscores the superior structural performance and material efficiency of the GLBW-3T configuration, achieving an optimal balance of material use and structural integrity.