Influence of Interfilament Bond Characteristics on the Load–Deflection Behavior of 3D Printed Beam (2026-01)¶

Additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, offers unique advantages in the fabrication of structural components due to its ability to create complex geometries and customize material properties. However, the limited understanding of how various printing-based parameters affect the load carrying capacity of 3D printed structural elements poses one of the technical obstacles to the widespread adoption of this technology. Consequently, this study investigates the load–deflection behavior of 3D printed beams under four-point loading condition employing a finite element framework. In this work, two types of additively manufactured beam specimens are numerically modeled in Abaqus®. In one type of specimen, the extruded layers are assumed to be made of uniform cross-section replicating the rectangular type of nozzle, whereas, in the second case, average interfilament pores at different layers across the thickness of the beam are taken into account. Constitutive behavior of each extruded filament of concrete is represented through a damage and plasticity-incorporated material model, whereas a cohesive zone-based bond characteristics is employed to replicate the interaction of two successive extruded concrete layers. Along with different interfilament pore condition, influence of interfilament bond strength and loading direction on the mechanical behavior of 3D printed concrete beam is also investigated. The simulated results highlight various crucial insights on the relative variation in the load capacity of 3D printed beam for different interfilament pore, bond strength, and loading direction. Consequently, the present work highlights opportunities for optimizing designs for specific load-bearing applications.