3D-printing with foam concrete: From material design and testing to application and sustainability

Foam concrete (FC) is known to be a versatile material with distinct material properties which make it useful in applications for structural as well as insulating purposes. Application of FC in large-scale additive manufacturing, also described as 3D-printing with foam concrete, is still uncommon and the research on printable FC is still in its initial phase. This article discusses experimentally determined material properties of four different printable FCs with densities ranging from 800 kg/m(3) to 1200 kg/m(3). The fresh-state properties of the FC developed were determined to be specifically relevant to the 3D-printing process time interval, i.e., an age span of 30 to 150 min after water addition. The reported material properties in the hardened state include porosity, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity. Finally, possible application of the FC in 3D-printing was assessed with respect to its economical, sociological, and ecological impacts.

Automated summary

This article discusses experimentally determined material properties of four different printable foam concretes with densities ranging from 800 kg/m(³) to 1200 kg/m(³), including fresh-state and hardened-state properties relevant to 3D printing. The possible applications of foam concrete in 3D-printing were assessed based on its economic, sociological, and ecological impacts.