Preliminary Research on Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Rock Structures

In this study, we explored the application of three-dimensional printing (3DP) simulated rock materials. Specimens were fabricated by two different formation methods (powder-ink binders (PIB) and selective laser sintering (SLS)). Uniaxial compression and splitting tensile tests were conducted on both printed specimens and weak rock specimens to compare the failure forms and mechanical properties. Generally, powder-ink binder specimens showed stronger mechanical properties than selective laser specimens, and specimens presented stronger mechanical properties when loaded parallel to the printing direction. The average compressive strength of SLS specimens was 3.88 ± 0.32 MPa and average tensile strength was 0.49 ± 0.05 MPa; the PIB specimens offered average compressive strength of about 9.82 ± 0.16 MPa and average tensile strength 0.85 ± 0.06 MPa, similar to sandstone specimens. PIB specimens printed vertical to the axial direction mechanical properties and failure forms as the weak rock specimens. Altogether, the results indicated that PIB specimens are optimal for simulating weak rock materials.