Effect of Heat Curing and E6-Glass Fibre Reinforcement Addition on Powder-Based 3DP Cement Mortar

Abstract

Powder-based 3D printing is one of the most promising techniques in additive manufacturing. The speed, resolution of the printed part and complicated geometries are important features in this technique and these features are usually not experienced in traditional construction techniques. This study aims to discuss the concept of using a custom-made powder (cement mortar) instead of a commercial (gypsum) powder in 3DP. Therefore, broad investigations are required to study and understand the details of the cement mortar 3D printed scaffold. This paper discovers the effect of heat-curing and addition of E6-glass fibres as reinforcement for the printed specimens. The results show that the mechanical properties of the cement mortar are improved through a heat-curing procedure. Addition of fibre reinforcement enhances powder flowability consistency and surface roughness throughout. Experiments are conducted on printed 50mm cubic specimens, cured in an oven at different temperatures. The optimum heat-curing temperature is found to be 80°C to achieve the highest compressive strength in cement mortar specimens. Detailed 3D laser scanning of the printed cement mortar specimens is conducted. The 3D laser scanning results found rougher surface in cement mortar when it is not reinforced with glass fibre.

An overview of recent advancements in fibre-reinforced 3D printing concrete

“…The orientation angle exerts a notable influence on the mechanical performance of printed samples. There exists variation in mechanical strength along different directions within each plane, rendering it a material with anisotropic properties (Shakor et al, 2023a). It has been established that when the average length of reinforcing fibres exceeds the diameter of the nozzle, they line up along the direction of movement through the nozzle, as depicted in Figure 2, as presented by Zhang et al (2021).…”

Investigating recycled 3D printing filament waste-based composites reinforced by fillers

“…Heat-curing effects and E6-glass fiber addition improve powder flowability and surface roughness, optimizing at 80°C for the highest compressive strength. Laser scanning reveals smoother surfaces in reinforced cement mortar, indicating potential advancements in AM for construction [36].…”

Shear strengthening of deficient RC deep beams using NSM FRP system: Experimental and numerical investigation

“…An especially aggressive * E-mail: marek.hawryluk@pwr.edu.pl working environment is encountered in the ceramics industry, particularly on roof tile production lines, where key machine elements regularly come into direct contact with the processed material, whose main components are clay, quartz sand, and ground crushed brick [6]. The most intensive abrasion occurs in the process of band extrusion, where the production mass is mixed, homogenized, vented, and formed [7]. This process is currently realized in horizontal band plungers, which are made up of a two-shaft mixer and a pug mill [8,9].…”

“…Research studies consistently show that the NSM technique has superior efficiency in strengthening compared to the externally bounded reinforcement (EBR) technique when using CFRP sheets [6]. Beyond the utilization of FRPs as a strengthening material, researchers may also investigate the incorporation of fibers into composites or construction materials other than cement mortars, including concrete, in order to tackle particular challenges or satisfy changing industry demands [7,8]. However, Multiple shear-strengthening strategies, including FRP, and their effects on the response of RC deep beams have been investigated [9][10][11].…”