Heat and cold make building materials expand and contract, causing cracks and deterioration. Researchers at the University of Porto’s faculties of Sciences (FCUP) and Engineering (FEUP) are developing 3D-printing mortars with practically zero thermal expansion.
The idea is to add particles that reduce expansion, studied in the IFIMUP laboratories, to cut the stresses and cracks caused by heating and cooling cycles. At FEUP, the team is studying printing conditions and how parts built by additive manufacturing behave.
The ReStruct 3D project is coordinated by João Horta Belo, co-funded by the EU regional development fund through COMPETE 2030, and ends in 2028 with the printing of a wall of about 2 square metres to test the materials at full scale. Early results earned PhD student André Soares a young scientist award at the EmergeMAT 2026 conference.
