Development of a Functional Cementitious Mixture with Expanded Graphite for Automated Spray Construction
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35, Issue 8
Abstract
Spray-based three-dimensional (3D) concrete printing is an innovative method to automatically construct structures on vertical and overhead surfaces, which contributes to less labor investment and construction time. On the other hand, expanded graphite is widely known for its high thermal and electrical conductivity as a lightweight ingredient, and thus its potential in functional cementitious materials has been gradually realized in recent years. In this study, a lightweight cementitious material containing expanded graphite has been developed specifically for spray-based 3D concrete printing with added values. Through the characterization and overall evaluation of densities, mechanical and rheological properties, and Joule-heating performance, the appropriate expanded graphite content was determined as 1% by weight of cement. Afterward, silica fume was introduced into the matrix to tailor the rheological properties of the mixtures. The subsequent spray-based printing showed that the tailored mixture had significant improvements in the building capacity and spray quality. On the other hand, it also possessed superior Joule-heating performance than the control mixture without expanded graphite. The potential engineering applications of the developed material include deicing and structural health monitoring, and the compatibility with spray-based 3D concrete printing provides extra values of higher construction efficiency and adaptivity to the structures of complex contours.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, including the raw data from the rheological experiment, Joule-heating performance evaluation, and spray-based 3D concrete printing assessment.
Acknowledgments
This research is supported by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore under its Medium-Sized Centre funding scheme, CES_SDC Pte Ltd., and Chip Eng Seng Corporation Ltd. The authors would also like to thank Mr. Zhenbang Liu and Dr. Zhixin Liu for their assistance in spray-based 3D concrete printing experiments.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35 • Issue 8 • August 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 12, 2022
Accepted: Dec 23, 2022
Published online: May 23, 2023
Published in print: Aug 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Oct 23, 2023
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