Fire performance of innovative 3D printed concrete composite wall panels – A Numerical Study

Thadshajini Suntharalingam,Perampalam Gatheeshgar,Irindu Upasiri,Keerthan Poologanathan,Brabha Nagaratnam,Marco Corradi,Dilini Nuwanthika

doi:10.1016/j.cscm.2021.e00586

Thadshajini Suntharalingam, Perampalam Gatheeshgar + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2021.e00586

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Abstract

The 3-Dimensional (3D) printing technology in the construction sector has seen an accelerating growth owing to its potential advantages. For this layer-based construction, a detailed investigation on fire performance is necessary. However, there are limited research studies for 3D Printed Concrete (3DPC) walls exposed to fire. Therefore, this paper investigates the fire performance of different types of 3D printed concrete walls using validated Finite Element Models (FEMs). Validated heat transfer FEMs were extended to investigate the fire performance of a range of 3DPC wall configurations (solid, cavity, and composite) under standard fire conditions. The results show that 3DPC non-load bearing cavity walls underperform when subjected to standard fire compared to solid 3DPC walls. The novel composite 3DPC walls with the use of Rockwool as cavity insulation offers superior fire resistance.

Highlights

Concrete technology is one of the research areas where many novel inputs are observed
The standard fire curve, ISO 834 was applied on firesides of the heat transfer Finite Element Models (FEM) of wall specimens and the time-dependent unexposed side temperature was determined from ABAQUS CAE tools
This paper has presented the results of numerical analyses on the thermal performance of 3D Printed Concrete (3DPC) walls that included both the conventional cavity walls and the new composite wall configurations

Summary

Introduction

Concrete technology is one of the research areas where many novel inputs are observed. Novel types of concretes are introduced day by day depending on various applications and performance. Building Additive Manufacturing (BAM) which is known as 3-Dimensional Concrete Printing (3DPC) is one of the novel types of innovative fabrication technologies of concrete which is well established around the world [1,2]. Extrusion-based printing is a type of 3DPC which is an emerging construction technique to build the desired structure layer by layer without using any type of formwork [1,3]. The nozzles can be mounted on a gantry or a robotic arm and extrude any free form shape according to the input digital design [4,5,6]

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