A team of engineers at The University of New Mexico (UNM) has developed a revolutionary material that could transform the construction industry.
By using 3D printing technology, they’ve created a special kind of bendable concrete that is more resilient, requires less maintenance, and could even be used for building structures in space.
The material is officially patented and has the potential to reshape how we construct buildings and infrastructure.
Concrete is one of the most widely used materials in construction, but it has a big flaw: it’s brittle and cracks easily under stress.
“Concrete is great at handling pressure, but when it’s pulled or bent, it breaks,” said Maryam Hojati, assistant professor in civil engineering at UNM. This weakness makes it vulnerable during natural disasters like earthquakes and high winds, which put tension on structures.
Traditional construction solves this problem by reinforcing concrete with steel bars or beams, but this approach is expensive, labor-intensive, and limits how automated the process can be.
The UNM team, led by Hojati, wanted to find a way to 3D print concrete structures without needing extra supports like steel reinforcement.
Graduate researcher Muhammad Saeed Zafar and his team created a unique material called self-reinforced ultra-ductile cementitious material, which is strong, flexible, and can be used with 3D printers.
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, builds objects layer by layer using materials like metals, plastics, or concrete.
In the case of this new concrete, the researchers needed to develop a formula that could be printed smoothly but still hold its shape. The key was adding the right amount of fibers—such as polyvinyl alcohol and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers—to the mix.
“If there’s too little fiber, the structure collapses. If there’s too much, it clogs the printer,” explained Zafar.
After testing many combinations, the team found four different mixes that worked well, increasing the material’s strain capacity by up to 11.9%. These fibers act like a web inside the concrete, holding it together and allowing it to bend without breaking.
This bendable concrete has huge advantages. It’s more resistant to cracking, which means roads, bridges, and buildings could last longer and require less maintenance. It could also make construction faster and safer by reducing the need for heavy machinery and large teams of workers.
The technology could even have applications beyond Earth. Hojati is involved in projects exploring how 3D printing could be used to build structures on other planets. Traditional construction methods are impractical in space because transporting heavy materials like steel beams is too costly. 3D printing lightweight, flexible materials like this concrete could be a game-changer for space exploration.
“This research was very successful,” said Hojati. “Our material has the right balance of 3D printing properties and structural strength to be used in construction.”
Whether it’s improving infrastructure here on Earth or enabling construction on distant planets, this bendable, 3D-printed concrete could shape the future of building.
