Mechanical Properties of Powder-bed 3D Printed Concrete for Lightweight Construction Elements

This work focuses on developing the 3D printing process of concrete using powder bed technology, with an emphasis on the mechanical properties of the printed samples.Parallelly, a topology optimization strategy is applied to reduce the material needed for the customized production of structurally complex lightweight construction elements.The powder bed technology ensures almost complete freedom of shaping with the loss-free use of dry mortar powder, making the optimized design practically feasible.Optimization of material and technology for 3D powder bed printing is discussed in terms of overall porosity, bulk density and wettability of the powder used, as well as the technology of powder bed recoating and the amount of activator solution.The strength of printed samples for handling, shape accuracy and final strength after hardening are considered as governing parameters for the material and process development.