Centrifuge-Based Physical Modeling of Reinforced Concrete Using 3D Printed Reinforcement Cages

Small-scale physical models for use in shake table centrifuge testing are useful both to geotechnical and structural engineers. At scales on the order of 1:40 creating physical models of Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures presents manufacturing difficulties, as it is hard and time-consuming to build and place such small rebars. This paper shows that the steel reinforcement can be 3D printed in the form of reinforcing cages, even at submillimeter diameters. It discusses quasi-static cyclic tests on cantilever columns and beam-column joints with different configurations. The findings suggest that the behavior of the tested small-scale RC components mirrors that of their full-scale counterparts. This similarity implies that such 1:40 specimens hold promise as a physical modeling approach for centrifuge testing.