Fresh Properties of Cementitious Materials Containing Rice Husk Ash for Construction 3D Printing
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 32, Issue 8
Abstract
Combustion of rice husk produces a supplementary cementing material known as rice husk ash (RHA). Current studies on enhancement of physical properties and durability of cementitious composites with RHA are limited to applications in conventional construction. Automation in construction using additive manufacturing technique—commonly known as construction three-dimensional (3D) printing—is an emergent strategy. Because the printing process is formwork-free and requires a continuous deposition of layers with structural stability, mix design of a 3D printable concrete is different from conventional concrete. Portland cement replacement by RHA improves the sustainability of a mixture as a construction material. In this work, 20% by weight of cement is replaced with RHA. Compressive strength and workability loss of designed mixes—with and without RHA—were studied at early age and compared with fresh properties of proven printable mortar available in market. Incorporation of RHA has shown significant improvement in rheology of mortar at the rate required for construction 3D printing at large scale.
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Data Availability Statement
The following listed data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request:
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Raw data generated from portable vane assessment, UUCT, and flow table test;
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3D model or printable file of the casting molds; and
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G-code for the cuboid structure used to validate LabRHA printable mixture.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster and the National University of Singapore (NUS) Centre for Additive Manufacturing (AM.NUS) for funding this work, and Yosen Pte Ltd for providing equipment support.
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Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 32 • Issue 8 • August 2020
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©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jul 20, 2019
Accepted: Dec 16, 2019
Published online: May 20, 2020
Published in print: Aug 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Oct 20, 2020
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