Mechanical characterisation of a bamboo fibre/polylactic acid composite produced by fused deposition modelling

Abstract

<jats:p> Polymer matrices are usually reinforced with fibres giving a good strength/weight ratio. Currently, innovative research has been focussed in producing new composite materials using natural fibres as an alternative sustainable material. In the present work, the mechanical behaviour of a composite based on polylactic acid reinforced with bamboo fibre produced by additive manufacturing was evaluated. Specimens were manufactured using fused deposition modelling with different geometry depositions, layer thicknesses and fill densities. The results were evaluated performing an analysis of variance with a confidence level of 95%. The composites were subjected to mechanical testing to evaluate the influence of process parameters in tensile strength, strain, and elastic modulus. It was observed that the principal factors that influence the elasticity are the deposition geometry and fill density. Fracture zones and manufacturing defects were additionally studied using optical and scanning electron microscopy. The vertical orientation of the layers causes the premature rupture of the test samples due to the tension being reverted at the interface between the layers. The specimens showed slight adhesion between the polylactic acid matrix and the bamboo fibres. This effect was related with the presence of porosity, cracks and local deformations in the composite material. </jats:p>

Optimization of FDM process parameters for tensile properties of polylactic acid specimens using Taguchi design of experiment method

“…While in S/N ratio method, the change in response to the nominal value is determined in different noise conditions and the results are evaluated by increasing or decreasing the process parameters according to the average output response. 37 The ANOVA method is mostly used when the percentage of each parameter is considered individually on the output. When the aim is optimization of the multi-response process, S/N method is used which it considers the percentage of contribution and the impact of more than one parameter on the output.…”

Fused deposition modelling: Current status, methodology, applications and future prospects

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, FDM was used as an alternative production method to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks and respirator face shields [20][21][22]. A significant number of new types of materials designed for FDM have been developed between 2020 and 2021 including new fibre-reinforced composites with superior mechanical properties [23][24][25][26][27][28], advanced polymer-based nanocomposites prepared with the addition of carbon nanomaterials [29][30][31][32] and many other types of polymer-based composites [33][34][35][36] with enhanced physical properties. New ceramicbased materials made of polymer and ceramic powder such as Al2O3 [37], hydroxyapatite [38] or dense zirconia [39] have been developed for FDM.…”

Fused deposition modeling based polymeric materials and their performance: A review

“…[ 25–29 ] However, few researchers successfully studied the FDM‐printed natural fiber composites. [ 30–34 ] Another challenge in FDM‐based composite development is the development of particle‐filled composites. Reinforcement of particle in the filament affects the melt flowability and viscosity of the filament.…”