Abstract
This paper investigates the potential for combining robotic and additive manufacturing in construction with geopolymerization. 3D printing is considered an essential element of the new industrial revolution. As a technology that facilitates construction work and minimizes the production line. Geopolymers obtained by alkaline activation of aluminosilicate materials are considered ecological. These materials can help solve the CO2 emission problem and be an effective substitute for building materials due to their mechanical performance and significant durability properties. This study presents a new approach of geopolymer based on clay for 3D printing purpose. Four formulations based on a silicate and sodium hydroxide geopolymer binder were prepared. The silicate to sodium hydroxide ratio was 0.24 and the molarity of NaOH was 10 M. The ratio sand/clay was 1:1. The printability, extrudability and buildability of this new material have been studied. This geopolymer was printed using a robotic arm 3D printer based on the extrusion technique for formulation validation. Mechanical tests for compressive and flexural strength were carried out on the printed geopolymer. The results of this study demonstrate that clay-based geopolymer can replace cement mortar in the 3D printing process with interesting mechanical performance to meet the application requirements in the construction sector.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Availability of data and material
All data and materials are still available.
Code availability
A mixt of robot simulation software & custom code.
References
Ahmari S, Zhang L (2012) Production of eco-friendly bricks from copper mine tailings through geopolymerization. Constr Build Mater 29:323–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.10.048
Albitar M, Mohamed Ali MS, Visintin P (2017) Experimental study on fly ash and lead smelter slag-based geopolymer concrete columns. Constr Build Mater 141:104–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.03.014
Amin N, Alam S, Gul S (2014) Synthesis of alkali activated cement from local clay and its characterization 39:1555–1560. https://doi.org/10.3303/CET1439260
Buswell RA, Thorpe A, Soar RC, Gibb AGF (2008) Automation in Construction Design, data and process issues for mega-scale rapid manufacturing machines used for construction. 17:923–929. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2008.03.001
Candi M, Beltagui A (2019) Effective use of 3D printing in the innovation process. Technovation 80–81:63–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2018.05.002
Christ S, Schnabel M, Vorndran E et al (2015) Fiber reinforcement during 3D printing. Mater Lett 139:165–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2014.10.065
Davidovits J (1994) Properties of Geopolymer Cements. First International Conference on Alkaline Cements and Concretes. Kiev State Technical University, Kiev Ukraine, pp 131–149
Davidovits PJ (2002) 30 Years of Successes and Failures in Geopolymer Applications . Market Trends and Potential Breakthroughs. In: Geopolymer 2002 Conference, Melbourne, Australia, pp 1–16, October 28–29
Dutt KS, Kumar KV, Kishore IS, Chowdary CM (2016) A case ctudy on fly ash based Geo-polymer concrete. Int J Eng Trends Technol 34:58–62
Fernández-Jiménez A, Palomo A, Pastor JY, Martin A (2008) New cementitious materials based on alkali-activated fly ash: performance at high temperatures. J Am Ceram Soc 91:3308–3314. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1551-2916.2008.02625
Gosselin C, Duballet R, Roux P et al (2016) Large-scale 3D printing of ultra-high performance concrete - a new processing route for architects and builders. Mater Des 100:102–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2016.03.097
Khale D, Chaudhary R (2007) Mechanism of geopolymerization and factors influencing its development: a review. J Mater 42:729–746. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-006-0401-4
Khoshnevis B (2004) Automated construction by contour crafting—related robotics and information technologies. Autom Constr 13:5–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2003.08.012
Krimi I, Lafhaj Z, Ducoulombier L (2017) Prospective study on the integration of additive manufacturing to building industry—case of a French construction company. Addit Manuf 16:107–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2017.04.002
Kumar Patra A, Chowdhry M, Prusty BK (2011) Effect of synthesis parameters on the compressive strength of fly ash based geopolymer concrete. Int J Environ Pollut Control Manag 3:79–88
Lakhal O, Chettibi T, Belarouci A et al (2020) Robotized additive manufacturing of funicular architectural geometries based on building materials. IEEE/ASME Trans Mechatronics 4435:1–1. https://doi.org/10.1109/tmech.2020.2974057
Le TT, Austin SA, Lim S et al (2012) Mix design and fresh properties for high-performance printing concrete. Mater Struct Constr 45:1221–1232. https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-012-9828-z
Liew YM, Heah CY, Mohd Mustafa AB, Kamarudin H (2016) Structure and properties of clay-based geopolymer cements: a review. Prog Mater Sci 83:595–629. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmatsci.2016.08.002
Liew YM, Kamarudin H, Bakri AMM et al (2011) Investigating the possibility of utilization of kaolin and the potential of metakaolin to produce green cement for construction purposes—a review. Aust J Basic Appl Sci 5:441–449
Lim S, Buswell RA, Le TT et al (2012) Developments in construction-scale additive manufacturing processes. Autom Constr 21:262–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2011.06.010
Luukkonen T, Abdollahnejad Z, Yliniemi J et al (2018) One-part alkali-activated materials: a review. Cem Concr Res 103:21–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2017.10.001
Ma G, Li Z, Wang L (2018) Printable properties of cementitious material containing copper tailings for extrusion based 3D printing. Constr Build Mater 162:613–627. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.12.051
Ma G, Wang L (2017) A critical review of preparation design and workability measurement of concrete material for largescale 3D printing. Front Struct Civ Eng. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-017-0430-x
Mobili A, Belli A, Giosuè C et al (2016) Metakaolin and fly ash alkali-activated mortars compared with cementitious mortars at the same strength class. Cem Concr Res 88:198–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2016.07.004
Nerella VN, Mechtcherine V (2019) Studying the Printability of Fresh Concrete for Formwork-Free Concrete Onsite 3D Printing Technology (CONPrint3D). Elsevier Inc
Pacheco-torgal F (2008) Alkali-activated binders: a review. Part 2. About materials and binders manufacture. Constr Build Mater 22:1315–1322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2007.03.019
Panda B, Paul SC, Hui LJ et al (2018a) Additive manufacturing of geopolymer for sustainable built environment. J Clean Prod 167:281–288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.08.165
Panda B, Paul SC, Mohamed NAN et al (2018b) Measurement of tensile bond strength of 3D printed geopolymer mortar. Meas J Int Meas Confed 113:108–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2017.08.051
Paul SC, Tay YWD, Panda B, Tan MJ (2018) Fresh and hardened properties of 3D printable cementitious materials for building and construction. Arch Civ Mech Eng 18:311–319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acme.2017.02.008
Revelo CF, Colorado HA (2018) 3D printing of kaolinite clay ceramics using the Direct Ink Writing (DIW) technique. Ceram Int 44:5673–5682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2017.12.219
Roussel N (2018) Rheological requirements for printable concretes. Cem Concr Res. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2018.04.005
Sayed M, Zeedan SR (2013) Green binding material using alkali activated blast furnace slag with silica fume. HBRC J 8:177–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hbrcj.2012.10.003
Slaty F, Khoury H, Wastiels J, Rahier H (2013) Characterization of alkali activated kaolinitic clay. Appl Clay Sci 75–76:120–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2013.02.005
Tashima MM, Akasaki JL, Castaldelli VN et al (2012) New geopolymeric binder based on fl uid catalytic cracking catalyst residue ( FCC ). Mater Lett 80:50–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2012.04.051
Tashima MM, Akasaki JL, Melges JLP et al (2013) Alkali activated materials based on fluid catalytic cracking catalyst residue ( FCC ): Influence of SiO2 / Na2O and H2O / FCC ratio on mechanical strength and microstructure. Fuel 108:833–839. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2013.02.052
Teizer J, Blickle A, King T, et al (2016) Large Scale 3D Printing of Complex Geometric Shapes in Construction. In: 33th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, ISARC, July 2016
Thompson SM, Bian L, Shamsaei N, Yadollahi A (2015) An overview of Direct Laser Deposition for additive manufacturing. Addit Manuf 8:36–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2015.07.001
Travitzky N, Bonet A, Dermeik B et al (2014) Additive manufacturing of ceramic-based materials. Adv Eng Mater 16:729–754. https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.201400097
Xia M, Sanjayan J (2016) Method of formulating geopolymer for 3D printing for construction applications. Mater Des 110:382–390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2016.07.136
Zhao ZL (2000) Adaptive direct slicing of the solid model for rapid prototyping. Int J Prod Res 38:68–83
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the support of the brickworks of the north of France (BdN) for the donation of clay and sand, respectively, in this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Youssef, N., Rabenantoandro, A.Z., Lafhaj, Z. et al. A novel approach of geopolymer formulation based on clay for additive manufacturing. Constr Robot 5, 175–190 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41693-021-00060-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41693-021-00060-1