Penetration test of sheet-like indenter for yield stress assessment of 3D-printed concrete

Abstract

The evolution of early mechanical properties of 3D-printed concrete (3DPC) plays a crucial role in early constructability, while current methods face challenges on the tradeoff between the accuracy and feasibility of mechanical properties characterization. In this paper, we designed a sheet-like indenter configuration to quantitatively obtain the yield stress of fresh 3DPC. First, we show the typical force-depth curve of sheet-like indenters obtained during the penetration test and analyze the main factors affecting the penetration resistance at various regimes. Then, we derive the quantitative correlation between the yield stress and the force-depth curve based on numerical simulation. Our results show that the slipping phenomenon between the indenter side and the material leads to an underestimation of the yield stress compared to the standard compression test and cone-shaped indenter. We moreover propose a sheet-like indenter with surface roughness modification to obtain the accurate yield stress value, together with a formula for the yield stress calculation based on the force-depth curve. Finally, we assess the feasibility of the proposed approach, which can robustly predict fresh 3DPC with yield stresses in the range of 1–100 kPa.