Sugarcane Bagasse Ash in Alkali-Activated Concrete Mix Proportion for 3D printing: An experimental investigation on Fresh and Hardened Properties

Abstract

Abstract In contrast to traditional casting, 3D printing builds complex architectural and structural components by depositing extruded materials layer by layer without the need of molds or human labor. Critical early-age qualities that define the 3D printed alkali activated concrete are extrudability, shape retention, buildability, and open time. This paper investigates the fresh and hardened properties of alkali activated concrete mix utilizing sugarcane bagasse ash, fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag(GGBFS) suitable for extrusion-based 3D printing. The percentages of fly ash, GGBFS, bagasse ash were varied, while the sodium silicate/sodium hydroxide ratio was fixed at 1:1 and sand: binder was kept 1.3:1 and a total of six mixes were characterized by a systematic experimental approach to obtain a best printable mix. The outcomes show that bagasse ash, with a suitable substitution ratio of 20% fly ash, is a useful binder for alkali-activated concrete printing. It was revealed that while addition of bagasse ash (BA) increased the open time for printing, it resulted in decreased workability and continuous increment of BA resulted in diminishing value of compressive strength.