3D Printed House Bricks Almost 5 Times Stronger

3D Printed House Bricks Almost 5 Times Stronger

3D printing is a technology that makes things easier for many companies. There are many elements that can be built thanks to a 3D printer, giving great quality and resistance and saving a lot of time in construction. This time, researchers have created a ceramic that is almost five times stronger than the traditional ceramic that we all know today.

This technology that has grown so much in recent years is very accessible, since you can have a 3D printer at home. These machines allow us to create, thanks to a computer program, practically whatever we want.

The advantages of 3D printing

The researchers who have created this new ceramic belong to the School of Engineering at Rice University, in the United States. Just by covering it with a kind of polymer layer, it was possible to give the ceramic almost 5 times greater resistance.

In addition, another very resistant material was used called schwarzite, which improves both the density and the mechanical resistance of the material. Once the pieces were finished, they were cured by exposing them to ultraviolet light.

Until now it was practically impossible to manufacture such a material, but thanks to 3D printers this has changed, since this machine makes things much easier. This ceramic could be used both to make bricks to help the construction of buildings and for implants or prosthetics for the body.

Ceramic is generally a great material that has a lot of resistance to temperatures and is very hard. However, it is very fragile and it is very easy for a small blow to break into many pieces. In fact, its fragility does not allow it to be used to support loads, so its use in the architecture and construction sector is limited.

Natural elements for reference

To create this new material, the researchers have relied on elements that exist in nature such as the shells of mollusks or even animal bones.

The first tests showed that parts that were not covered with polymer broke easily during drop tests from a certain height or when pressure was applied with a hydraulic press.

Those with the coating proved to be up to 4.5 times stronger. In fact, when a level of pressure was applied that should have caused a break, what the material did was flatten rather than break.

Thus, this new material joins a long list of new materials that are born and that offer a much greater resistance than that of other elements that are used today to build structures.