Influence of contacts in 2D infill patterns on mechanical properties of 3D printed concrete structures

• Rectangular & honeycomb infill patterns impact strength. • Contact points in honeycomb patterns reduce stiffness. • Material overlap in rectangular patterns is negligible. Infill patterns serve as the internal structure of printed elements, aiming to achieve a balance between lightweight design and structural stiffness. Understanding how contacts in these patterns affect the mechanical properties of printed components is essential for effective application. This study selects rectangular and honeycomb patterns to print cubes with contacts incorporated in each layer. Uniaxial compressive tests, combined with Digital Image Correlation (DIC), are conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties of areas with and without contacts. The results indicate that the structure and number of contacts significantly impact the strength of cubes with honeycomb patterns, while the influence of the contacts with material overlap in rectangular patterns on the elastic modulus can be disregarded.