Physical Modeling of Reinforced Concrete Structures with 3D-Printed Steel Cages at Centrifuge Scale
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ICPMG26_3DPRC.pdf
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860.18 KB
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Author(s)
Elmorsy, M.
Leinenbach, C.
Vassiliou, M.F
Date Issued
2026
Publisher
International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering | Proceedings of the 11th ICPMG in Geotechnics
Citation
M. Elmorsy; C. Leinenbach; M.F. Vassiliou. "Physical Modeling of Reinforced Concrete Structures with 3D-Printed Steel Cages at Centrifuge Scale." Proceedings of the 11th ICPMG in Geotechnics. 2026.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Small-scale physical modeling of reinforced concrete (RC) structures offers a promising alternative to full-scale experimental testing for applications such as centrifuge modeling and the validation of numerical modeling assumptions. However, the credibility of such approaches depends on their ability to reproduce key aspects of prototype structural behavior. This paper presents a unified synthesis of two experimental campaigns on 1:30-scale RC beam–column joints and columns incorporating additively manufactured reinforcement cages and gypsum-based microconcrete. The small-scale test results are systematically compared with databases of full-scale quasi-static cyclic tests that exhibited comparable flexural failure modes. The comparison focuses on global response measures relevant to physical modeling, including normalized strength, stiffness, and ductility. The results show that the small-scale additively manufactured models follow the same response trends observed in full-scale tests for both joints and columns, despite unavoidable scale effects. These findings support the use of additively manufactured small-scale RC models as reliable tools for physical modeling applications and for providing experimental support to component- and system-level numerical model validation.
Description
11th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics 8-12 June 2026, Zurich, Switzerland
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICPMG2026-435
