Acta Mechanica Slovaca 2026, 30(1):20-24 | DOI: 10.21496/ams.2026.004

Numerical Analysis of the Buildability of a 3D-Printed Cylindrical Concrete Wall: A VoxelPrint-Abaqus Approach

Erika Dubňanská1, *, Martina Hančinová1, Jakub Mlotek2, Zdenko Bobovský2, Martin Hagara1, Róbert Huňady1
1 Technical University of Košice, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Applied Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering, Letná 1/9, 042 00 Košice, Slovak Republic
2 VŠB - Technical University of Ostrava, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Robotics, 17. listopadu 2172/15, 708 00 Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic

Additive manufacturing (AM) of silicate-based materials has emerged as a significant research area, with adoption across construction, automotive and electrical engineering, as well as art and design. The rheology of fresh mixtures, along with process parameters (printing speed, layer height, bead width), strongly influences printability and buildability. In addition to experiments, numerical methods - particularly finite-element analysis - are increasingly used to predict the structural response and assess the stability of printed components. This study investigates the buildability of an extrusion-printed cylindrical concrete wall using a finite-element modelling (FEM) approach. A parametric model was created in VoxelPrint - a Grasshopper plug-in - and exported as an Abaqus input file (.inp) with the required model definitions (mesh, material properties, steps, boundary conditions, loads, and activation sets). To quantify discretization sensitivity, two voxel sizes were investigated - 8 mm and 4 mm. The model was analysed in Abaqus/Standard with stepwise element activation. Material behaviour was represented by a time-dependent material model based on the Mohr-Coulomb criterion, assuming a linear stress-strain response up to failure.

Keywords: numerical modelling; numerical simulation; 3D printing; silicate materials, concrete 3D printing; VoxelPrint, Abaqus

Received: November 10, 2025; Revised: November 10, 2025; Accepted: February 16, 2026; Published: April 1, 2026  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Dubňanská, E., Hančinová, M., Mlotek, J., Bobovský, Z., Hagara, M., & Huňady, R. (2026). Numerical Analysis of the Buildability of a 3D-Printed Cylindrical Concrete Wall: A VoxelPrint-Abaqus Approach. Acta Mechanica Slovaca, 30(1), 20-24. doi: 10.21496/ams.2026.004
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. ISO/ASTM 52900 (2021). Additive manufacturing - General principles - Fundamentals and vocabulary. International Organization for Standardization. Geneva.
    2. De Witte, D (2022). Clay Printing: The Fourth Generation Brickwork. Springer, Germany. Go to original source...
    3. Zhao, Q., et al. (2025). Advances and Application Potential in the Research of Silicate Mineral-Based 3D Printing Materials. Progress in Materials Science, 152, 101450. Go to original source...
    4. Carter, C. B, Norton, M.G. (2013) Ceramic Materials Science and Engineering, 2nd edition. Springer, New York, 766 p.
    5. Romanczuk-Ruszuk, E., et al. (2023). 3D Printing Ceramics-Materials for Direct Extrusion Process. Ceramics, 6, 1, 364-385. Go to original source...
    6. Cuevas, D. G., Pugliese, G. (2020) Advanced 3D Printing with Grasshopper: Clay and FDM. 1st edition. Kindle Direct Publishing, 195 p.
    7. Li, Z., et al. (2020). Fresh and Hardened Properties of Extrusion-Based 3D-Printed Cementitious Materials: A Review. Sustainability, 12, 14, 5628. Go to original source...
    8. Malaeb, Z. et al. (2015). 3D Concrete Printing: Machine and Mix Design. International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 6, 6, 14-22.
    9. Wolfs, R. J. M., Suiker, A. S. J. (2019) Structural Failure During Extrusion-Based 3D Printing Processes. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 104, 565-584. Go to original source...
    10. Suiker, A. S. J. (2018). Mechanical Performance of Wall Structures in 3D Printing Processes: Theory, Design Tools and Experiments. International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 137, 145-170. Go to original source...
    11. Khan, S. A., Koç, M. (2022). Numerical Modelling and Simulation for Extrusion-based 3D Concrete Printing: The Underlying Physics, Potential, and Challenges. Results in Materials, 16, 100337. Go to original source...
    12. Vantyghem, G., Ooms, T., de Corte, W. (2021) VoxelPrint: A Grasshopper Plug-In For Voxel-Based Numerical Simulation of Concrete Printing. Automation in Construction, 122, 103469. Go to original source...
    13. Pierre, M. et al. (2025). Multiphysics Modelling of 3D Concrete Printing: From Material Model to Process Simulation and Optimisation. Additive Manufacturing, 109, 104847. Go to original source...
    14. Spangenberg, J., et al. (2021) Numerical Simulation of Multi-Layer 3D Concrete Printing. RILEM Technical Letters, 6, 119-123. Go to original source...
    15. Ann, D., Zhang, Y. X., Yang, R. (2024). Numerical Modelling of 3D Concrete Printing: Material Models, Boundary Conditions and Failure Identification. Engineering Structures, 299, 117104. Go to original source...
    16. Vantyghem, G., Ooms, T., de Corte, W. (2020). FEM Modelling Techniques for Simulation of 3D Concrete Printing. preprint
    17. Wolfs, R. J. M., Bos, F. P., Salet, T. A. M. (2018). Early Age Mechanical Behaviour of 3D Printed Concrete: Numerical Modelling and Experimental Testing. Cement and Concrete Research, 106, 103-116. Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content