Rapid prototyping (RP) is an emerging technology that has been implemented in many spheres of industry -particularly in the area of new product development. Growth of this field has been rapid in recent years. Stereolithography (SL) is one of the most popular RP process used for rapid tooling applications. There are several process parameters contributing to the strength of an SL product. The contribution of three parameters; namely, layer thickness, post curing time and orientation are most significant. In light of this concern, an attempt has been made to study and optimize these process parameters for maximum part strength, and develop an empirical relationship between process parameters and part strength through design of experiments (DOE). The proposed DOE is verified with the data of experiments conducted under standard conditions.
The present investigation reports the mechanical properties of banana short fiber, macro particle, and micro particle reinforced epoxy composites. Mechanical properties, such as tensile, flexural, and impact strength, of three different composites were studied and compared based on the three different fiber contents (25 wt%, 30 wt%, and 35 wt%). The composites were prepared by a compression moulding method for which the mixture containing the reinforcing agents and resin matrix was prepare dusing a mechanical stirrer. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed the failure mechanism and the resulting damage that occurred in the composites. The short fiber composite with 35 wt% content showed the highest tensile strength (35.59 MPa), whereas the macro particle composite with 35 wt% content showed the highest flexural strength (67.16 MPa). In the case of the impact strength, both the short fiber and macro particle composites showed the highest impact strength (0.32 J). The mechanical properties of epoxy composites increased substantially with increase of content of reinforcing agents (short fiber, macro particle, and micro particle).
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