Investigation of Water Vapor Adsorption and Thermal Conductivity Properties of Stabilized Earth Mixtures for the Construction of 3D Printed Wall Structures (2026-01)¶

The utilization of natural building materials presents significant untapped potential across various aspects, including environmental friendliness (ecology), human health (well-being), and accessibility (availability, cost-effectiveness). Substantial reserves of raw materials required for architecture based on natural resource utilization are still available. The integration of these traditionally used building materials into the modern construction industry is a relevant consideration in light of current global challenges such as climate change and energy supply. The economic performance of the construction industry has shown a consistently growing trend over the years. Contemporary trends in the construction sector, assuming the continued viability of the current civilization model, are clearly moving towards mechanization and minimizing manual labour. Similar to other fields, 3D printing technology is beginning to emerge in the construction industry. This method is equally suitable for printing cement-based concrete mixtures as it is for clay-based earth mixtures. In this paper, considering the construction requirements of a clay-based 3D-printed wall, we examine the water vapor adsorption and thermal properties of mixtures based on different material compositions. We investigate how the performance of pure clay-based earth mixtures, lime-stabilized earth mixtures, cement-stabilized earth mixtures, and mixtures stabilized with both cement and lime compare in terms of vapor adsorption capacity and thermal conductivity. We expect the results obtained to support the building physics dimensioning and feasibility of experimental clay-based 3D-printed wall structures.