This study presents an experimental and numerical investigation into the flexural performance of PVA Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composite Members through traditional mold casting and 3D Concrete Printing (3DPC). Four-point bending tests (ASTM C1609) were conducted on six cast and six 3DPC beam specimens, supported by material characterization tests including flowability, compressive strength, direct tensile strength, and interlayer tensile strength.
Cast specimens achieved approximately 21% higher average flexural strength than 3DPC (7.96MPa vs 6.29 MPa). However, 3DPC specimens exhibited stronger post-crack performance, with 43.3% higher residual strength at 0.75 mm (L/600), 84% greater toughness, and 40% larger deflection at peak, attributed to preferential PVA fiber alignment along the printing direction. Cast beams failed through a single straight vertical crack, while 3DPC beams developed a characteristic zigzag crack path governed by interlayer interface deflection, producing a more progressive and energy-absorbing failure mode.
Nonlinear finite element simulations in ATENA showed different levels of agreement with the experimental responses across the three evaluated material models. The Cementitious2FRC model reproduced the peak response and residual strength of the cast beams reasonably well, with errors of 1% in peak load, 5% in deflection at peak, and 3% in residual strength, but underestimated the maximum deformation by approximately 39%. When the same parameters were directly transferred to the 3DPC beams without recalibration, the model underestimated the residual strength at L/600 by approximately 58.19% and the maximum deformation by approximately 63%, indicating that the cast calibrated FRC formulation did not adequately reproduce the post-peak response of the layered printed system. The Cementitious2User model achieved reasonable agreement with the cast-beam response following inverse calibration in accordance with the ATENA documentation guidelines. The Cementitious2Variable model, although still at an initial stage of development for 3DPC, provided a closer representation of the overall post-cracking response of the experimental printed beams.

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