Evaluation of basalt fibers and nanoclays to enhance extrudability and buildability of 3D-printing mortars

Hugo Varela*, Gonzalo Barluenga, Mohammed Sonebi

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

A study of the rheological and fresh mechanical properties of fly ash-cement 3D printing (3DP) mortars with six types of nanoclays (NC) as rheology modifiers, two sepiolites, three attapulgites and one bentonite, and reinforced with short basalt fibers (BF) was carried out. Fresh mortar properties were evaluated with a flow table test (FTT), cylindrical slump test (CST) and cone-penetration test (CPT) on samples left at rest and stirred before testing. Squeeze test (SQT) was carried out on samples cast-in-the-mold and 3D printed to compare the effects of 3DP on the fresh mechanical behavior. Extrudability was assessed with an electrical barrel extrusion device. NC and BF enhanced mortar cohesion by preventing water drainage and improving material extrudability. NC increased shear yield stress (τ0) over time on samples left at rest, enhancing reversible thixotropy. Besides, NC required larger amounts of superplasticizer, increasing open time windows. Among NC, Sepiolite in powder form showed the best fresh mechanical performance on 3DP samples. BF enhanced extrudability due to the bridging effect but also shows mechanical synergies with some NC. 3DP samples showed lower compressive yield stress and Young modulus evolution over time ( σ ˙ and Ė) than cast-in-the-mold samples, due to their layered structure.
Original languageEnglish
Article number110776
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Building Engineering
Volume97
Early online date20 Sept 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Nov 2024

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