Filament Stitching (2025-03)¶

An Architected Printing Strategy to Mitigate Anisotropy in 3D-Printed Engineered Cementitious Composites

10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2025.106044

Zhou Wen, Xu Yading, Meng Zhaozheng, Xie Jinbao, Zhou Yubao, Schlangen Erik, Šavija Branko
Journal Article - Cement and Concrete Composites, Vol. 160, No. 106044

Abstract

Anisotropy in 3D-printed concrete structures has persistently raised concerns regarding structural integrity and safety. In this study, an architected 3D printing strategy, “stitching”, was proposed to mitigate anisotropy in 3D-printed Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC). This approach integrates the direction-dependent tensile resistance of extruded ECC, the mechanical interlocking between three-dimensional layers, and a deliberately engineered interwoven interface system. As a result, the out-of-plane direction of the printed structure can be self-reinforced without external reinforcements. Four-point bending tests demonstrated that the “stitching” pattern induced multi-cracking and flexural-hardening behavior in the out-of-plane direction, boosting its energy dissipation to 343 % of the reference “parallel” printing and achieving 48.6 % of cast ECC. Additionally, micro-CT scanning and acoustic emission tests further validated the controlled crack propagation enabled by the engineered interface architecture. The proposed strategy has been proven to substantially alleviate anisotropy and enhance structural integrity.

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65 References

9 Citations

BibTeX

@article{zhou_xu_meng_xie.2025.FS,
  author            = "Wen Zhou and Yading Xu and Zhaozheng Meng and Jinbao Xie and Yubao Zhou and Erik Schlangen and Branko Šavija",
  title             = "Filament Stitching: An Architected Printing Strategy to Mitigate Anisotropy in 3D-Printed Engineered Cementitious Composites",
  doi               = "10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2025.106044",
  year              = "2025",
  journal           = "Cement and Concrete Composites",
  volume            = "160",
  pages             = "106044",
}

Formatted Citation

IEEE

W. Zhou, “Filament Stitching: An Architected Printing Strategy to Mitigate Anisotropy in 3D-Printed Engineered Cementitious Composites”, Cement and Concrete Composites, vol. 160, p. 106044, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2025.106044.

CMOS

Zhou, Wen, Yading Xu, Zhaozheng Meng, Jinbao Xie, Yubao Zhou, Erik Schlangen, and Branko Šavija. “Filament Stitching: An Architected Printing Strategy to Mitigate Anisotropy in 3D-Printed Engineered Cementitious Composites”. Cement and Concrete Composites 160 (2025): 106044. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2025.106044.