Ashish R. Prajapati, Harshit K. Dave and Harit K. Raval
The fiber reinforced polymer composites are becoming more critical because of their exceptional mechanical properties and lightweight structures. Fused filament fabrication (FFF…
Abstract
Purpose
The fiber reinforced polymer composites are becoming more critical because of their exceptional mechanical properties and lightweight structures. Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a three-dimensional (3D) printing technique that can manufacture composite structures. However, the effect of impact performance on the structural integrity of FFF made composites compared to the pre-preg composites is a primary concern for the practical usage of 3D printed parts. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the effect of different processing parameters on the impact performance of 3D printed composites.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper investigates the impact of build orientation, fiber stacking sequence and fiber angle on the impact properties. Two build orientations, three fiber stacking sequences and two different fiber angles have been selected for this study. Charpy impact testing is carried out to investigate the impact energy absorption of the parts. Onyx as a matrix material and two different types of fibers, that is, fiberglass and high strength high temperature (HSHT) fiberglass as reinforcements, are used for the fabrication.
Findings
Results indicate that build orientation and fiber angle largely affect the impact performance of composite parts. The composite part built with XYZ orientation, 0º/90º fiber angle and B type fiber stacking sequence resulted into maximum impact energy. However, comparing both types of fiber reinforcement, HSHT fiberglass resulted in higher impact energy than regular fiberglass.
Originality/value
This study evaluates the damage modes during the impact testing of the 3D printed composite parts. The impact energy absorbed by the composite samples during the impact testing is measured to compare the effect of different processing conditions. The investigation of different types of fiberglass reinforced with Onyx material is very limited for the FFF-based process. The results also provide a database to select the different parameters to obtain the required impact properties.
Details
Keywords
Harshit K. Dave, Ashish R. Prajapati, Shilpesh R. Rajpurohit, Naushil H. Patadiya and Harit K. Raval
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is being increasingly used in automotive and aerospace industries because of its ability to produce specimens having difficult geometrical shape…
Abstract
Purpose
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is being increasingly used in automotive and aerospace industries because of its ability to produce specimens having difficult geometrical shape. However, owing to lack of critical information regarding the reliability and mechanical properties of FDM-printed parts at various designs, the use of 3D printed parts in these industries is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of process parameters of FDM on the tensile strength of open-hole specimen printed using in-house-fabricated polylactic acid (PLA).
Design/methodology/approach
In the present study, three process parameters, namely, raster angle, layer thickness and raster width, are selected for investigation of tensile strength. To produce the tensile specimens in the FDM machine, the PLA filament is used which is fabricated from PLA granules using a single-screw extruder. Further, the experimental values are measured and critically analysed. Failure modes under tests are studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Findings
Results indicate that the raster angle has a significant effect on the tensile strength of open-hole tensile specimen. Specimens built with 0° raster angle, 200-µm layer thickness and 500-µm raster width obtained maximum tensile strength.
Originality/value
In this work, a new concept of testing a plate that has a rectangular shape and a circular hole at the centre is tested. Open-hole tensile test standard ASTM D5766 has been implemented for the first time for the FDM process.