Monitoring Prioritization for On-Site 3D Concrete Printing Based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (2026-03)¶

Monitoring of 3D concrete printing (3DCP), particularly for large-scale on-site 3DCP, is crucial for ensuring the safety and quality of automated construction. However, systematic research on the monitoring objects and their priorities for on-site 3DCP remains limited. Here, we evaluate the key objects requiring monitoring in on-site 3DCP and their prioritization using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). A monitoring experiment for a 3D-printed building is presented as a case study. Additionally, solutions involving monitoring sensors and detection tools are recommended. The results show that the critical monitoring targets for on-site 3DCP are fluctuating environments (FE), material properties (MP), printing parameters (PP), and performance of printed structures (PS). The monitoring priorities of FE, MP, PP, and PS calculated using the AHP are 0.40, 0.33, 0.16, and 0.11, respectively. For FE and PS monitoring, it is crucial to monitor FE such as ambient temperature and humidity (ATH), as well as PS such as the early strength of printed structure (EPS), quality of printed layers (QPL), height of printed layers (HPS), and dimensions of printed structure (DPS). For MP and PP monitoring and control, dynamically adjusting MP such as slump, as well as PP such as printing speed (PSD) and printing time gap (PTG) based on monitoring results, is vital to mitigating the impact of sudden changes in external environmental conditions. In the case study, the PSD values vary between 4982 to 7227 mm/min, while the PTG values range from 13.3 to 16. 5 min.