Effect of Carbon Fillers and Printing Path Strategy on Damage Detection in 3D-Printed Smart Concretes for Structural Health Monitoring (2026-02)¶

This paper investigates the influence of chopped carbon microfibers (CCMF) and 3D printing path strategy on the electrical conductivity and damage sensitivity of cement-based composites designed for structural health monitoring. The development of self-sensing, 3D-printed smart concretes is becoming increasingly important for monitoring the structural integrity of cementitious materials under dynamic loading conditions, such as earthquakes. These materials are particularly vulnerable to localized failures, often caused by inherent issues in the printing and curing processes. Such defects can compromise structural safety and limit service life, especially during critical events. To better understand these phenomena, the study evaluates the sensitivity to crack initiation and propagation of multifunctional beams with two in-plane printing strategies, with a transverse path (parallel to the short side) and a longitudinal path (along the long axis), offering insights into the effectiveness of each material–process combination in enabling reliable damage detection for the creation of resilient, smart concrete structures.