Numerical analysis of flexural behavior of concrete element with 3-D printed formwork.

Nowadays, 3-D printing (or additive manufacturing) is a widely used technique in different branches (e.g. public healthcare, consumer goods, weapons development etc.) to produce various objects and products. In the last years, 3-D printing has also begun to be used in the fields of civil engineering. Today, the use of 3-D printing in civil engineering takes different forms. Authors of this paper focus on the use of 3-D printing for the development of plastic formworks for concrete which can substitute steel reinforcement. This technology has its limitations for now, but it is still worthy for the numerical investigation which will be necessary for practical designing of concrete structures with 3-D printed plastic reinforcement in future. For this reason, the numerical investigation of mechanical behavior of concrete element shaped and reinforced by 3-D printed formwork is performed within this paper. The flexural strength test is numerically simulated for this purpose. The result of the best numerical simulation is compared with the result of the practical flexural strength test which was obtained from the former experimental investigation. Based on this comparison, provisional insufficiencies of the used numerical approach are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]