Experimental and numerical study of full-scale reinforced concrete beams with 3DCP permanent formwork
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26906/znp.2025.65.4215Keywords:
3D concrete printing (3DCP), permanent formwork, reinforced concrete beam, finite element method, strain energyAbstract
The performance of a box-type permanent 3DCP formwork for full-scale reinforced concrete beams was assessed through experimental testing and numerical analysis. Eight beams were tested under four-point bending to examine the contribution of the printed shell to stiffness, crack development, and load-bearing capacity. The specimens exhibited a flexural–shear failure mechanism, while no delamination between the printed shell and the cast-in-place core was observed. A nonlinear finite element model was calibrated against the experimental load–deflection responses and then used for comparative simulations. The predicted ultimate load was 81.9 kN for beams with 3DCP formwork and 77.1 kN for a numerically simulated reference beam without formwork. An energy-based assessment showed that the total strain energy decreased to 49.64 % at the same load level, indicating increased stiffness and improved efficiency of the composite cross-section.
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