Additive manufacturing effect on the mechanical behaviour of architectural stoneware bricks

[Display omitted] •The AM of ceramic components expanded the boundaries of masonry construction.•The AM of ceramic free-form bricks has a large architectural and industrial potential.•The AM effect on the mechanical behaviour of stoneware bricks has been assessed.•The compressive strength is significantly high for stoneware ceramic specimens. Recent experiments showed the potential of integrating digital additive manufacturing techniques in the architectural design and production processes of free-form stoneware bricks for building envelopes, enabling a broad geometrical freedom with specific design requirements and challenging functions. The ceramic paste properties is known to be a key factor in the process of extrusion. The extrudability can be influenced by several parameters, such as the mineralogical clay composition and its moisture. In this study the extrusion parameters changes and its influence in the mechanical properties of stoneware ceramic bodies are investigated. This paper also explores the effect of additive manufacturing on the mechanical behaviour of architectural stoneware bricks and presents the main challenges and outcomes achieved during this extensive experimental research which adds significant knowledge to this emergent and promising field.