Chloride Induced Corrosion and Carbonation in 3D Printed Concrete

The durability of reinforced concrete structures is dependent on the ability of the concrete cover to combat the ingress of chlorides and carbon dioxide in marine and urban environments. In recent years, interest in additive manufacturing, specifically referring to extrusion based three-dimensional concrete printing (3DCP), has been growing in the construction industry. Despite this being a promising technology that can save construction time, costs and resources, certain issues regarding the lack of fusion between subsequent printed layers have been brought to light. Research has shown that the lack of fusion at the interlayer regions can act as ingress pathways for corrosion contaminants, such as carbon dioxide and chloride aqueous solution, that can cause deterioration. This study investigates the interlayer bond strength (flexural strength) and durability performance of 3D printed concrete subjected to pass times between 0 and 30 min and compares the results to reference cast concrete of the same concrete mixture. The durability study includes Durability Index testing (oxygen permeability, water sorptivity and chloride conductivity index), accelerated concrete carbonation and chloride-induced corrosion. The results show that the cast samples outperform printed samples, yielding greater flexural strength and durability properties, and emphasize the importance of improving the 3DCP interfacial bond. Cast samples are shown to have randomly distributed, compact voids compared to the interconnected and elongated pores located at the interlayer regions of printed samples. In addition, printed samples yield lower interlayer bond strength and durability properties with an increase in pass time, which is attributed to surface moisture evaporation as well as the thixotropic behaviour of the concrete mixture. Good relationships between the mechanical strength and durability performance are also presented.

Automated summary

The interlayer bond strength and durability properties of 3D printed concrete are found to be inferior to those of cast concrete, with a greater impact from the pass time. Cast samples have randomly distributed compact voids, while printed samples have interconnected pores in the interlayer regions. The results emphasize the importance of improving the interlayer bond in 3DCP.