Design of 3D Printable Eco-Concrete by Utilizing Rheology Modifiers for Sustainable Infrastructure

3D printing technology has become more commonplace in diverse industries in recent years. The popularity of this technology in the construction industry has been increasing; however, there are some challenges related to designing 3D-printable construction materials and adjusting their fresh properties for the 3D-printing process. Rheological properties, including viscosity, yield stress, and thixotropy, are the fundamental parameters to be considered for 3D printing applications. They significantly influence the key properties of 3D-printed concrete in the fresh and hardened states, including buildability, extrudability, and mechanical characteristics. Several researchers have utilized chemical admixtures (retarders/accelerator/superplasticizers/rheology modifiers) to achieve critical rheological demands. However, these are non-renewable, oil-based products containing many undesirable toxic matters that include a prospective danger towards the environment and can also cause the reinforcement's corrosion. On the other hand, organic admixtures have the potential to replace chemical admixtures as an alternative, and they are abundantly available renewable materials. This study utilizes self-degradable additives (corn starch and cassava starch), supplementary cementitious materials (silica fume, nano-clay), and viscosity modifying admixture (methylcellulose). These admixtures will be used individually and in different combinations to evaluate their potential effects on the rheology, green strength, printability, and mechanical characteristics of the 3D-printable concrete. Fresh properties will be measured using a flow-table test. A rheometer will be used to study the plastic viscosity, yield stress, and thixotropy evolution over different intervals. The green strength will be examined using the direct shear and uniaxial compressive strength tests for different ages. The printability of the selected mixes will be assessed in terms of extrudability and buildability. Moreover, the 28-day compressive strength of the specimens will also be checked.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 22CUNM46

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $110000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551747106

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET)

  Louisiana State University
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70803
• Project Managers:

  Mousa, Momen

• Performing Organizations:

  University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

  MSC01 1070
  Albuquerque, New Mexico  United States  87131-0001
• Principal Investigators:

  Hojati, Maryam

• Start Date: 20220401
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Admixtures; Concrete construction; Fresh concrete; Rheological properties; Sustainable development; Three dimensional printing
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01844940
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET)
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747106
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: May 9 2022 5:49AM