Interlayer Reinforcement Combined with Fiber Reinforcement for Extruded Lightweight Mortar Elements.

Area of Science:

• Construction Materials Science
• Structural Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Lightweight mortar extrusion offers improved thermal insulation and reduced material use for monolithic exterior walls.
• Current systems lack sufficient flexural strength and have weak layer bonding without reinforcement, limiting applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate a reinforcement strategy for lightweight mortar extrusion to enhance flexural strength and overcome layer bonding limitations.
• To reduce anisotropy in flexural strength inherent in the layered extrusion process.

Main Methods:

• Incorporating fibers within the extruded mortar matrix.
• Introducing vertically inserted reinforcement elements into freshly deposited layers.
• Testing flexural strength parallel and between layers of reinforced and unreinforced mortar.

Main Results:

• Fiber reinforcement increased flexural strength nearly threefold parallel to extrusion layers.
• Vertical reinforcement elements (corrugated wire, short steel) effectively improved inter-layer bond strength.
• Combined reinforcement achieved a sixfold increase in flexural strength between layers (12 N/mm² vs. 1.9 N/mm²).

Conclusions:

• A hybrid reinforcement strategy combining in-matrix fibers and vertical elements significantly enhances the structural performance of extruded lightweight mortar.
• These methods effectively reduce anisotropy and improve inter-layer bonding, expanding the application potential of monolithic wall components.