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  • Essay / 3D Printable Concrete Design

    Table of ContentsSummaryIntroductionHow Does a 3D Printer Work?Results and ConclusionSummary3D printing on concrete is the most revolutionary idea in the field of concrete technology to achieve breakthrough instead of constraints diversified. it promises to be very beneficial in terms of time and economic efficiency, precision, less manual labor, etc. It mainly works on the principle of extrusion in which 2D layers are stacked through a printing nozzle to form a 3D frame. In this article, we will discuss the different constraints related to machine and mix design for printable concrete. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayIntroductionThis article mainly focuses on the mix design required for concrete printability to achieve optimal results. The concrete mix must be capable of being brought to height such that it meets the following criteria: Maximize compressive strength while maximizing workability. Maximize fluidity while maximizing constructability during pouring. Maximize the speed of concrete setting while maintaining an appropriate setting time for subsequent layers to bond. Some of the objectives conflict with each other, so an appropriate balance must be maintained. Mechanical Performance of Extruded Concrete MaterialsExtrusion, a high-pressure process that changes the strength and stiffness of concrete - due to high-pressure extrusion air content is reduced and compressive strength increased. -rigidity is increased by the elimination of entrained air. The five most important characteristics of the mixture design to fulfill the printability condition are: fluidity, extrusionability, compressive strength, opening time. The mixture should be strong enough to hold together and liquid enough to adhere to each layer. so they don't appear to be different entities. open time is what we call the change in fluidity of concrete over time. and finally the most important characteristic, compressive strength, which determines the load that our structure will support. The MSA (maximum aggregate size) should be around 2mm in diameter as the nozzle diameter is usually 2cm. different dry constituents such as type 1 cement and sand are also mixed. superplasticizers such as viscocrete are added to increase workability without changing the water/c ratio. A good balance between all constituents must be maintained to obtain an optimal mixture. How does a 3D printer work? Concrete 3D printers operate on a machine language that controls the print head until the complete 3D model is produced. -it works on material extrusion. -they operate along the x, y and z axes. -it first needs specially designed rails and a horizontal metal beam to install the nozzle and the robotic arm. -normal concrete is connected to the printer nozzle via a large pipe. Machine design: The machine consists of 3 main components: the tank and pumping process, the printing nozzle and the motion control system. The tank initially contains the concrete which is pumped to the printing nozzle which is given a directional function in the xyz axis using the motion control system. Movement along the axis: there is a vertical element that supports and controls the moving tank and nozzle. the movement along the z axis is controlled by the vertical element either..