More Like this

1. Experimental and FEA Simulations Using ANSYS on the Mechanical Properties of Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) 3D-Printed Woven Jute Fiber-Reinforced PLA Laminates

   https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp8040152  

   Shahriar, Sazidur R; Jiang, Lai; Park, Jaejong; Islam, Md Shariful; Perez, Bryan; Peng, Xiaobo (July 2024, Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing)

   The mechanical properties of woven jute fiber-reinforced PLA polymer laminates additively manufactured through Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) technology are simulated using the finite element method in this work. Woven jute fiber reinforcements are used to strengthen bio-thermoplastic PLA polymers in creating highly biodegradable composite structures that can serve as one of the environmentally friendly alternatives for synthetic composites. A LOM 3D printer prototype was designed and built by the authors. All woven jute/PLA biocomposite laminated specimens made using the built prototype in this study had their tensile and flexural properties measured using ASTM test standards. These laminated structures were modeled using the ANSYS Mechanical Composite PrepPost (ACP) module, and then both testing processes were simulated using the experimentally measured input values. The FEA simulation results indicated a close match with experimental results, with a maximum difference of 9.18%. This study served as an exemplary case study using the FEA method to predict the mechanical behaviors of biocomposite laminate materials made through a novel manufacturing process. 

   more » « less
2. Mechanical property characterizations of woven natural fiber-reinforced polymers 3D printed through a laminated object manufacturing process

   https://doi.org/10.1080/25740881.2024.2347601  

   Jiang, Lai; Shahriar, Sazidur; Islam, Md Shariful; Grady, Tony; Perez, Bryan (May 2024, Polymer-Plastics Technology and Materials)

   The mechanical properties of woven natural fiber reinforced polymers additively manufactured through Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) technology are investigated in this paper. The benefits of both the material and manufacturing process were combined into a sustainable practice, as a potential alternative to traditional synthetic composite materials made from nonrenewable crude oil with limited end-of-life alternatives. Woven jute fiber reinforcements are used to strengthen both synthetic and bio- thermoplastic polymers in creating highly biodegradable composite structures. Such materials, as one of the prospective alternatives for synthetic composites, can be used in many engineering fields such as automobile panels, construction materials, and commodity and recreational products including sports and musical instruments. A LOM 3D printer prototype was designed and built by the authors. All woven jute/polymer biocomposite test specimens made using the built prototype in this study had their mechanical (both tensile and flexural) properties assessed using ASTM test standards and then compared to similar values measured from pure polymer specimens. Improved mechanical characteristics were identified and analyzed. Finally, SEM imaging was performed to identify the polymer infusion and fibermatrix bonding conditions. 

   more » « less
3. Mechanical Properties of the Woven Natural Fiber Reinforced Sheet Stocks Used for the Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) Rapid Prototyping Process

   https://doi.org/10.12783/asc36/35915  

   L. Jiang, A.S. Amarasekara (September 2021, ASC Thirty-Sixth Technical Conference Proceedings)

   Ozden Ochoa (Ed.)

   This paper investigates the mechanical properties of potential sheet stocks of a Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) 3D printer made using woven jute fabrics infused with two types of bioresin. The combinations of bioresins and the reinforcements would make green sheet stocks that are expected to be environmentally friendly comparing to traditional synthetic fibers infused with regular resins. Pure resin samples are also involved for comparison purposes. Both tensile and flexural properties are measured following ASTM D638 and D3039 standards (for tensile tests) as well as ASTM D790 and D7264 standards (for flexural tests). Detailed processes of specimen preparation followed by test procedures are introduced. Tensile strengths and moduli as well as flexural strengths and moduli are obtained for comparison. Based on the study of the mechanical properties of both types of pure resin and woven jute fiber-reinforced composites, the research team concluded a few important findings that could be used as guidelines in the sheet stock selection and preparation for the LOM 3D printer that is currently under the building process. 

   more » « less
4. Tensile performance data of 3D printed photopolymer gyroid lattices

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2023.109396  

   Peloquin, Jacob; Kirillova, Alina; Mathey, Elizabeth; Rudin, Cynthia; Brinson, L Catherine; Gall, Ken (August 2023, Data in Brief)

   Additive manufacturing has provided the ability to manufacture complex structures using a wide variety of materials and geometries. Structures such as triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) lattices have been incorporated into products across many fields due to their unique combinations of mechanical, geometric, and physical properties. Yet, the near limitless possibility of combining geometry and material into these lattices leaves much to be discovered. This article provides a dataset of experimentally gathered tensile stress-strain curves and measured porosity values for 389 unique gyroid lattice structures manufactured using vat photopolymerization 3D printing. The lattice samples were printed from one of twenty different photopolymer materials available from either Formlabs, LOCTITE AM, or ETEC that range from strong and brittle to elastic and ductile and were printed on commercially available 3D printers, specifically the Formlabs Form2, Prusa SL1, and ETEC Envision One cDLM Mechanical. The stress-strain curves were recorded with an MTS Criterion C43.504 mechanical testing apparatus and following ASTM standards, and the void fraction or “porosity” of each lattice was measured using a calibrated scale. This data serves as a valuable resource for use in the development of novel printing materials and lattice geometries and provides insight into the influence of photopolymer material properties on the printability, geometric accuracy, and mechanical performance of 3D printed lattice structures. The data described in this article was used to train a machine learning model capable of predicting mechanical properties of 3D printed gyroid lattices based on the base mechanical properties of the printing material and porosity of the lattice in the research article [1]. 

   more » « less
5. 3D printing of biofiber-reinforced composites and their mechanical properties: a review

   https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-08-2019-0214  

   Jiang, Lai; Peng, Xiaobo; Walczyk, Daniel (June 2020, Rapid Prototyping Journal)

   null (Ed.)

   Purpose This paper aims to summarize the up-to-date research performed on combinations of various biofibers and resin systems used in different three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies, including powder-based, material extrusion, solid-sheet and liquid-based systems. Detailed information about each process, including materials used and process design, are described, with the resultant products’ mechanical properties compared with those of 3D-printed parts produced from pure resin or different material combinations. In most processes introduced in this paper, biofibers are beneficial in improving the mechanical properties of 3D-printed parts and the biodegradability of the parts made using these green materials is also greatly improved. However, research on 3D printing of biofiber-reinforced composites is still far from complete, and there are still many further studies and research areas that could be explored in the future. Design/methodology/approach The paper starts with an overview of the current scenario of the composite manufacturing industry and then the problems of advanced composite materials are pointed out, followed by an introduction of biocomposites. The main body of the paper covers literature reviews of recently emerged 3D printing technologies that were applied to biofiber-reinforced composite materials. This part is classified into subsections based on the form of the starting materials used in the 3D printing process. A comprehensive conclusion is drawn at the end of the paper summarizing the findings by the authors. Findings Most of the biofiber-reinforced 3D-printed products exhibited improved mechanical properties than products printed using pure resin, indicating that biofibers are good replacements for synthetic ones. However, synthetic fibers are far from being completely replaced by biofibers due to several of their disadvantages including higher moisture absorbance, lower thermal stability and mechanical properties. Many studies are being performed to solve these problems, yet there are still some 3D printing technologies in which research concerning biofiber-reinforced composite parts is quite limited. This paper unveils potential research directions that would further develop 3D printing in a sustainable manner. Originality/value This paper is a summary of attempts to use biofibers as reinforcements together with different resin systems as the starting material for 3D printing processes, and most of the currently available 3D printing techniques are included herein. All of these attempts are solutions to some principal problems with current 3D printing processes such as the limit in the variety of materials and the poor mechanical performance of 3D printed parts. Various types of biofibers are involved in these studies. This paper unveils potential research directions that would further widen the use of biofibers in 3D printing in a sustainable manner. 

   more » « less