3D Printing and Implementation of Engineered Cementitious Composites - A Review

While 3D printing of concrete (3DCP) has gained increasing interest in the construction industry, steel reinforcement remains a significant obstacle to 3D printing (3DP) construction. To address this concern, Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC), also recognized as Strain-Hardening Cementitious Composites (SHCC), can provide structural performance and integrity, safety, durability, and strength without steel reinforcement. The article reviews scientific works on 3DCP using ECC and proposes further investigations to lead to better development. As a result, generally, Poly-Ethylene (PE) fibers are used more frequently because of their strength. Mix design parameters have been extensively examined in relation to fresh ECC rheological characteristics. Due to the printing process, fiber orientation may affect ultimate tensile strain. As compared to casted ones with random fiber orientation, fiber orientation aligned with tensile stress resulted in a higher ultimate tensile strain. Additionally, research showed that ECC including up to 2 % fiber can be mixed, extruded, and built. Morovere, results highlighted the comparison between printed ECC containing PVA and PE fibers, the influence of mix design parameters on extrudability, and the impact of fiber length and volume fraction on strain-hardening properties. The text also covers the effects of fiber orientation and nozzle distance on tensile performance and ultimate tensile strain, as well as the anisotropic properties of 3DP-ECC. As well as this, there are some areas that require further research, such as durability and response to a variety of loading conditions, such as seismic loading.