The sustainability profile of a biomimetic 3D printed vascular network to restore the structural integrity of concrete

Davide di Summa, Yasmina Shields, Vanessa Cappellesso, Liberato Ferrara & Nele De Belie

Abstract: Among the various possibilities to tackle the issue of concrete damage within its structural service life, the biomimetic approach has favoured the development of innovative solutions such as the use of 3D printed vascular networks suitably incorporated into concrete structural elements to inject and convey the most suitable healing agent upon crack occurrence. These systems, able to cope with damage of different intensities, may lead to improvements of the structure’s durability, through the closure of cracks, and a consequent reduction of the frequency of major maintenance activities. The present work investigates the environmental sustainability of the aforesaid self-healing technology through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis. The attention has been also focused on the 3D printing process of the network due to the key role that it could play, in terms of environmental burdens, when upscaled to real-life size applications. The case study of a beam healed by means of polyurethane injected through the network and exposed to a chloride environment is reported to better predict the potential improvements in terms of overall durability and consequent sustainability within the pre-defined service life.

Reference of this article:The sustainability profile of a biomimetic 3D printed vascular network to restore the structural integrity of concrete Davide di Summa, Yasmina Shields, Vanessa Cappellesso, Liberato Ferrara and Nele De Belie MATEC Web Conf., 378 (2023) 06002

Affiliations:

Davide di Summa, Yasmina Shields, Vanessa Cappellesso and Nele De Belie: Ghent University, Department of Structural Engineering and Building Materials MagnelVandepitte Laboratory, Tech Lane Ghent Science Park, Campus A, Technologiepark Zwijnaarde 60, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium

Davide Di Summa, Matteo Parpanesi and Liberato Ferrara: Politecnico di Milano, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy

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The full article can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/202337806002