A Numerical Study on 3D Printed Cementitious Composites Mixes Subjected to Axial Compression

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Structural Engineering
• Computational Mechanics

Background:

• Additive manufacturing advancements enable novel material design.
• Functionally graded materials offer tailored properties for enhanced performance.
• Cementitious composites are crucial for structural applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To numerically simulate and assess the performance of functionally graded cementitious composites.
• To investigate the impact of layer volume and position on multi-layer concrete structures.
• To optimize multi-layer concrete designs for improved compressive strength and strain performance.

Main Methods:

• Utilized existing concrete models in Abaqus Finite Element (FE) packages for numerical simulation.
• Employed a multi-layer approach to simulate functionally graded cementitious composites.
• Developed and analyzed two-layer and three-layer concrete models, comparing with experimental results.

Main Results:

• Layer volume and position significantly influence the performance of multi-layer concrete.
• In two-layer configurations, position and volume are critical when material strengths differ substantially.
• In three-layer configurations, volume is significant only if two layers share the same material; position has minimal effect.

Conclusions:

• A multi-layered design approach for compression structures can substantially enhance strength and strain performance.
• Optimized functionally graded concrete designs offer improved structural efficiency.
• The study provides insights for future applications of functionally graded cementitious composites in structural forms.