Non-destructive evaluation of ductile-porous versus brittle 3D printed vascular networks in self-healing concrete

Additive manufacturing (AM) can produce complex vascular network configurations, yet limited testing has been done to characterize the damage and healing behavior of concrete with embedded networks for self-healing. In this study, different AM methods and network wall materials were used to produce vascular networks for self-healing concrete prisms, where their load-response behavior, healing efficiency and microstructure were evaluated using non-destructive techniques: acoustic emission (AE), ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), digital image correlation (DIC), and X -ray computed tomography (CT). The types of healing agent release mechanisms that were studied include a ductile-porous network that supplies fluid from its pores and a brittle network that fractures under load to release fluid. DIC coupled with AE verified debonding of ductile-porous networks from the cementitious matrix, and was able to track damage progression as well as healing for all networks with load regains up to 56% and stiffness regains up to 91% using polyurethane.