Effect of Printing Parameters on Mechanical Behaviour of PLA-Flax Printed Structures by Fused Deposition Modelling

Abstract

Few studies have reported the performance of Polylactic acid (PLA) flax feedstock composite for additive manufacturing. In this work, we report a set of experiments conducted by fused filament technology on PLA and PLA-flax with the aim of drawing a clear picture of the potential of PLA-flax as a feedstock material. Nozzle and bed temperatures are both combined with the printing angle to investigate their influence on structural and mechanical properties. The study shows a low sensitivity of PLA-flax to process parameters compared to PLA. A varied balance between shearing and uniaxial deformation is found consistent with tensile results where filament crossing at −45/+45° provides the optimal load-bearing capabilities. However, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and high-speed camera recording shows a limiting reinforcing effect of flax fibre due to the presence of intra-filament porosity and a significant amount of fibre pull-out resulting from the tensile loading. These results suggest that the quality of the bond between PLA matrix and flax fibre, intra-filament porosity, and surface roughness should receive more attention as well as the need for more continuous fibre reinforcement in PLA filaments to optimise the performance of PLA-flax printed materials.

Hygrothermal and Microstructural Investigation of PLA and PLA-Flax Printed Structures

“…Additionally, the topography of the top surface shows a regular layer height and a smooth aspect of the two-filament thick external frame. This smooth morphology helps to keep a higher elongation at break as shown in a previous work [25]. Figure 11 shows SEM micrographs of PLA and PF printed structures proving that the morphology of the core and the surface roughness of the printed materials are both affected in different ways.…”

“…Table 1. Properties of considered feedstock materials [25]. The printing process is undertaken using a commercial 3D printer (Creality CR10) using the set of parameters detailed in Table 2.…”

“…Moreover, AM allows us to control with great precision the shape of the printed structure as well as the quantity of air occluded [23]. These two characteristics are key parameters in the design of elements for efficient building isolation [24,25].…”

Dynamically Balanced Pointing System for CubeSats: Study and 3D Printing Manufacturing

“…To this end, we paid particular attention to the type of infill pattern to be used for the realization of our prototype. In fact, it is well known that by using an infill pattern, it is possible to achieve the same or even better mechanical properties than a solid printed piece, with a consequent saving of material and therefore of weight [40]. Among the various types of pattern available, we preferred the "Gyroid" type because in addition to having significant vibration absorption properties, it is 23.7% faster and up to 12.59% more resistant in terms of tensile strength, compared to a "honeycomb" infill type [41].…”

A Comparative Analysis of Selected Methods for Determining Young’s Modulus in Polylactic Acid Samples Manufactured with the FDM Method

“…A static tensile test requires an adequate number of samples and testing machines, which increases analytical costs. Commonly, in case of typical construction materials, samples used in these tests are prepared by cutting from the original material, but in the case of fused deposition modeling, samples can be printed [ 14 ]. This test is also time-consuming, and some samples are irrecoverably damaged.…”