Effects of mixture ingredients on interlayer adhesion of concrete in Contour Crafting

Purpose - This paper aims to investigate the strength at interlayer of specimens fabricated using Contour Crafting (CC) to develop a concrete mixture for large-scale three-dimensional printing. Design/methodology/approach - The collected data from several experiments were analyzed to understand significant factors and their interactions. After developing the empirical model, condition for maximum desirability was identified and the model was validated. Findings - The experimental investigation of varied combination of concrete components introduced an empirical model which can predict the strength at interface. Moreover, an optimized mixture within constrains of the CC nozzle was developed and validated. Originality/value - Several experimental samples were tested, and the derived empirical model was validated after more than 600 h of work.