Experimental 3D Printed Concrete Footbridge (2025-05)¶

The paper deals with the possibilities of using 3D printing for the construction of footbridges without reinforcement. Using the Solopisky footbridge as an example, the whole process is described—from the design, composition of the mixture, and printing process to the verification test and final assembly of the structure. The mixture used was developed by the Klokner Institute specifically for this implementation. It consists of individually selected components typical of fine-grained micro concrete and mortar to meet the requirements for mechanical properties, workability, pumpability of the fresh mix, and buildability of the printed material. For printing the structure, a continuous print route was designed using parabolic envelope curves that were parametrically filled with a circular pattern. After verifying the characteristics of the footbridge, it was installed at the pond near the village of Solopisky.