The influence of print path on early-age plastic bearing capacity and mechanical behavior of 3D printed concrete: A novel approach for practical applications

3D concrete printing (3DCP) has been hailed as the most iconic productivity tool in the third industrial revolution. However, there are numerous research gaps that must be addressed in this rapidly expanding scientific area. Therefore, this study examined how print path affects early-age plastic bearing capacity and mechanical behavior of printed concrete. A novel experimental approach was proposed to measure the early-age plastic bearing capacity of printed concrete. To begin, a small body was printed and a specified load was given to the printed body at a specific moment to imitate the actual printing process. The maximum print height was then determined. This test method approximates printed concrete plastic bearing capability. The constructability of concrete is simple and feasible, and it is closely related to the full-scale printed specimens, which can be used as a measure in practical applications. Additionally, the compressive and splitting tensile strengths of printed specimens with varied printing paths were investigated. The outcomes demonstrated that printed specimens with parallel paths exhibit pronounced anisotropy. The printed concrete strength was substantially higher in the extrusion direction than in the perpendicular to the extrusion direction for parallel printing. The anisotropic behavior was significantly better when the printing path was orthogonal, but the concrete strength along the extrusion direction was much lower than with parallel printing.