Stitching Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC ) : Unraveling Anisotropy Challenges through Architectured 3D Printing Path Design

Towards the performance homogenization of 3D printed structures, a novel approach has been introduced for mitigating the anisotropy of 3D-printed Engineered Cementitious Composites (3DP-ECC). This innovative approach in-volves the design of 3D spatial paths, specifically referred to as "knitting", "tilting", and "stitching" patterns, as proposed and validated. Distinct from reliance on external reinforcements, this method leverages the direction-dependent tensile/bending resistance inherent to 3DP-ECC and the spatial interwoven interface system facilitated by architectured path design, which together serve as the foundation for achieving an augmented energy dissipation capability and improved flexural properties in the inter-layer direction.