Development of Cement Mortar Suitable for 3D Printing

Abstract

The objective of the study was to determine the optimum mix proportion of fibre reinforced cement mortar for 3D printing applications. The mortar mixes were prepared with polypropylene micro-fibre varied from 0 to 0.1% and then subjected to series of test related to printing required properties such as printability test, open time, layer settlement, and time gap together with some basic properties such as flow test, viscosity test, compressive strength test, and flexural strength test. The results indicated the optimum volume fraction of polypropylene micro-fibre of 0.1% which passed to required open time, provided the lowest time gap, and gave to the tallest print filament. It also yielded the highest compressive and flexural strengths. The printed specimens exhibited slighter lower compressive strength but higher flexural strength than the cast specimens.