Mechanical behavior of additively manufactured polymer composite structures and interfaces

2021-9-6
Kepenekci, Mehmet
Additive manufacturing (AM) is a technology based on the layer-by-layer production of parts. Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is one of the most cost-effective and popular AM techniques for the production of polymeric structures. While the initial use of FFF was limited to thermoplastics such as PLA and ABS, recent advances enabled the printing of composite materials and structures for superior mechanical performance. Multi-material printing through dual-nozzle systems offers a unique opportunity towards this end, enabling the production of complex geometries composed of different types of polymers. The first part of this thesis investigated one aspect of these composites – the mechanical behavior of the interfaces between two polymers. For this purpose, a range of PLA-TPU interfaces were produced by FFF, and the bonding between the two domains was investigated through mechanical testing and finite element modeling. The results demonstrated that the poor adhesion between the polymers can be significantly improved through the design of interlocking structures. Another common approach to the printing of composite structures by FFF is the utilization of polymer-matrix filaments with reinforcements. Short carbon fiber reinforced polyamide (PA-CF) is among the most promising composite filaments due to its excellent properties. While the mechanical characteristics of this specific composite have been widely studied, the corresponding performance of lightweight cellular structures made of PA-CF is not well known. The second part of this thesis investigated the mechanical performance of a wide range of cellular structures made of PA-CF through compression testing and high-speed imaging. The results show that cellular PA-CF structures provide a great combination of high strength and lightweight. The findings of the thesis show that FFF-produced composites offer great potential for load-bearing applications in a wide range of industries. Further optimization of the polymer-polymer interfaces will enable the reliable application of multi-material printing in load-bearing applications. The additional characterization of the PA-CF cellular structures will focus on their impact performance and will further expand the applications of FFF technology towards the design and manufacturing of energy absorbing structures.

Suggestions

Mechanical behaviour of polymeric lattice structures produced by additive manufacturing
Kalaycıoğlu, Şükrü Güray; Özerinç, Sezer; Department of Mechanical Engineering (2022-11)
Additive manufacturing (AM) is a manufacturing method based on the layer-by-layer deposition of the desired geometry. Polymer AM provides means to produce compliant polymeric structures for impact-absorbing applications. The recent introduction of foaming elastomeric filaments opened a new design space for achieving optimized impact absorbance performance. This thesis investigates this route through the mechanical testing of solid and cellular polymer foam structures produced by additive manufacturing. The...
3D printing of polymeric tissue engineering scaffolds using open-source fused deposition modeling
Alagoz, Ayse Selcen; Hasırcı, Vasıf Nejat (2020-08-01)
Open-source printing is a field where the cost of printing additive manufacturing products is cheaper due to more economical software and parts to construct a product including those of tissue engineering scaffolds. In this manuscript, fused deposition modeling (FDM) is used as the main avenue of open-source use in 3D printing of tissue engineering scaffolds. Additive manufacturing enables the researchers to build 3D products with interior and exterior architectures precisely defined and produced using open...
Simulator of an additive and subtractive type of hybrid manufacturing system
Dilberoğlu, Mecid Uğur; Yaman, Ulaş; Dölen, Melik (2019-06-24)
Additive Manufacturing (AM) facilitates the production of intricate objects despite its weakness in attainable part quality and fabrication speed compared to the conventional manufacturing methods. To alleviate the problems arising as a natural outcome of AM methods, hybrid technologies become viable options by employing concurrent manufacturing procedures, e.g. synergetic additive and subtractive manufacturing (SM) actions. Hybrid workstations have recently opened up new dimensions to 3D-printing industry,...
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF REPAIRED CARBON FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER COMPOSITES
Sonat, Emine Evren; Özerinç, Sezer; Department of Mechanical Engineering (2021-12-10)
Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are increasingly used in the aerospace industry due to their high specific strength compared to conventional metallic materials. However, a significant shortcoming of these composites is their increased susceptibility to damage. Structural repair is a common method to restore the load-carrying capacity of a damaged part when the damage size exceeds the pre-defined tolerances. Scarf and stepped bonded repair methods are the primary choice for cases that requi...
Mechanical properties of nylon parts produced by fused deposition modeling
Hasçelik, Sabit; Öztürk, Ömer T.; Özerinç, Sezer (2021-01-01)
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is a widely used additive manufacturing technique for producing polymeric parts. While most commonly used FDM filaments are PLA and ABS, nylon is a widely used thermoplastic polymer in industry. This study investigated the mechanical properties of FDM-produced specimens made of nylon and quantified the effect of process parameters such as raster orientation and nozzle temperature on the mechanical properties. As the nozzle temperature increases, specimens become stronger with...
Citation Formats
M. Kepenekci, “Mechanical behavior of additively manufactured polymer composite structures and interfaces,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2021.