Rheological Behavior of Fiber-Reinforced LC3 Fine-Grained Concrete in the Context of Additive Manufacturing (2023-12)¶

In recent years, the development of digital construction methods, such as 3D printing with concrete, has been followed and tested with increasing interest by the construction industry, as it represents a promising approach to many of the problems currently facing this sector. At the same time, the call for sustainable binders is getting louder and louder. It seems logical to combine both approaches in order to establish a sustainable construction method. In addition, the integration of reinforcement in the context of additive manufacturing should bring further advantages. The most practical approach is the introduction of short fibers dispersed in the concrete as part of the extrusion process. From a technical perspective, however, the implementation of this ecologically and economically advantageous concept can only succeed if the 3D printable materials have rheological properties in their fresh state that meet the high requirements of the complex 3D printing process chain. For these reasons, this article presents an initial insight into the rheological behavior of PE fiber-reinforced 3D printable fine-grain concretes (printFRC) based on a sustainable binder.