Substitution of cement by marine clay in spray-based 3D concrete printing

Abstract

Spray-based 3D concrete printing (S-3DCP) is a type of 3D concrete printing specifically for automated constructions on vertical and overhanging surfaces, e.g. facades and ceilings. In this study, cement is partially substituted by calcined marine clay to develop a high-performance mixture for S-3DCP. Through setting, rheological, and tack tests, the fresh properties of the mixtures with marine clays calcined after different temperatures have been assessed. Considering pumping and deposition performance, tackiness, and sustainability, the optimum calcination temperature of marine clay is determined as 700 °C. The subsequent spray-based printing test shows that compared with the mixture without marine clay, the mixture with the marine clay calcined at 700 °C has a more uniform thickness distribution and 185% higher building capacity. The study contributes to the deeper understanding of the rheological and tack properties of the mixtures with calcined marine clay, which guides the future utilization of marine clay.

Keywords:

• Spray-based 3D concrete printing
• cementitious material
• marine clay
• rheological property
• tackiness

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The raw/processed data will be made available on reasonable request.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Center for High Field NMR Spectroscopy and Imaging, Nanyang Technological University for the facility of Bruker AVANCE III HD 600 MHz (14.1 T) wide-bore spectrometer. The authors would also like to thank Mr. Hongliang Li for his valuable suggestions and Dr. Zhixin Liu for his assistance in spray-based 3D printing experiments.

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore under its Medium-Sized Centre funding scheme, CES_SDC Pte Ltd, and Chip Eng Seng Corporation Ltd.