Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of High-Strength High-Temperature Glass Fiber Reinforced 3D Printed Composites

Abstract

3D printing has revolutionized the way products are designed and manufactured. Composite materials are considered the materials of the future because of their excellent material and mechanical properties and excellent strength-to-weight ratio. Composite 3D printing combines the best of both worlds. 3D-printed composite parts have excellent Mechanical and Material properties and design freedom at the same time. On the contrary, composite 3D printing is fairly a new technology and it is still under development. Research is being carried out; new materials are being developed to take the full potential of composite 3D printing. As we know Composite Materials are a replacement for our traditional metals, as they provide the same if not better performance and are lightweight at the same time. A research gap still exists, considering the performance of 3Dprinted composite parts at elevated temperatures. This research focuses on Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of High-Strength High-Temperature glass-fiber reinforced 3D printing composites. Markforged Onyx served as the polymer matrix base and High-Strength HighTemperature Fiberglass was used as the fiber reinforcement for our composite design. This research explores the influence of High-Strength High-Temperature fiberglass (HSHT FG) volume fraction (Vf) and the temperature on the performance of composite test specimens, The 3-point bending test is carried out following ASTM D-790 standard at 40℃, 60℃, and 80℃. Ansys Composite PrepPost is used to model the composite laminates and Ansys Workbench is used for simulations. Both the experimental and simulation results indicate an increase in Flexural Strength and stiffness with the increase in HSHT FG volume fraction and a decrease in both with the increase in temperature. The results also indicate that the increase in HSHT Fiberglass volume fraction in 3D-printed composite specimens induces plastic behavior. Composite parts become less elastic and more elastic with the increase in HSHT FG volume fraction.