Nonlinear finite element investigation of 3D-printed concrete wall panels under diagonal compression

Abstract

This study investigates the in-plane behavior and damage mechanisms of three-dimensional (3D) printed concrete wall panels with dimensions of 600×600×150 mm using nonlinear finite element analysis. A three-dimensional finite element model of the wall panel was developed in ABAQUS. C3D8R solid elements with an approximate element size of 10 mm were employed in the model. The nonlinear behavior of concrete was simulated using the Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) model, which accounts for tensile cracking, compressive crushing, stiffness degradation, and plastic deformation. The specimen geometry, arrangement of the printed layers, interlayer interface behavior, boundary conditions, and diagonal loading configuration were incorporated into the finite element model. The interaction between the printed concrete layers was modeled using tie constraints defined between the surfaces of adjacent layers. Diagonal loading was applied under displacement control through the corner region of the wall panel. The load-carrying capacity and damage distributions obtained from the numerical analyses were compared with the results of an experimental study available in the literature. In addition, crack initiation regions, crack propagation paths, and critical damage zones were evaluated based on the damage distributions obtained from the numerical analysis. The finite element model successfully reproduced the experimental ultimate load-carrying capacity and the characteristic damage mechanism observed in the wall panel. Based on the experimental results, the relative error in the ultimate load-carrying capacity predicted by the numerical model was 5.75%. The findings demonstrate that the developed finite element model provides a reliable approach for the numerical assessment of the nonlinear in-plane behavior and damage evolution of 3D-printed concrete wall panels under diagonal loading. Furthermore, the present study may provide a basis for future numerical investigations in which interlayer interface behavior is examined in deep detail.