The Influence of Nozzle Size on Fabric Evolution of Double-Structured 3D-Printed Soils

Abstract

3D printing of soils is an emerging additive manufacturing technology with significant potential to be implemented across a wide range of geotechni-cal applications. Examples can include the automated construction of earth-based houses using locally available soils to reduce the carbon footprint of the building process, as well as the fabrication of infrastructure such as roads, dam embank-ments, and geo-barriers for gas storage or special waste management. However, since this technology is relatively recent, the available literature remains lim-ited, particularly from a geomechanical perspective. To fill this gap, this study focuses on the influence of nozzle size of printer on the fabric evolution of double-structured 3D-printed clayey soil. The first results show that the nozzle size affects mainly the macrostructural pore size dimensions both immediately after the print-ing process is complete, that is the as-printed state, and after a subsequent drying process.