Assessment of Three-Dimensional Printing of Granular Media for Geotechnical Applications

The rapid evolution of three-dimensional (3-D) printing has sparked interest for possible applications in geotechnical research. This article investigates the use of 3-D printing to create an artificial granular medium that reproduces the morphological characteristics of a natural sand. Initially, individual particle geometries are captured from the reference sand using microcomputed tomography (mu CT) scanning. Subsequently, their capacity to represent the morphology of the original medium is assessed. An evaluation of 3-D-printing options ensues, leading to the selection of PolyJet as the currently preferential technology. Postprinting, mu CT scanning reveals that only particles with a diameter of 2 mm or larger can be reliably reproduced using PolyJet. Finally, 3-D-printed media are assessed for their performance in possible geotechnical applications by examining their hydraulic conductivity using a constant head permeameter and their shear response using drained triaxial compression tests.