Mechanical Performance
Experimental Investigation
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Computed tomography (CT) -scanning reveals the actual mesostructure of FDM printed parts. Its characteristics govern the mechanical performance of FDM printed structures.
Mechanical testing to characterize the performance of 3D printed parts. Investigating the influence of multiple printing parameters like temperatures, print speed, extrusion factor.
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to understand the mechanisms that lead to final failure of a part.
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Numerical Modeling
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The common modelling approach is to consider the printed structure as a composite laminate. Such models cannot capture the complex behaviour of FDM materials beyond the linear elastic regime. It can only be understood by considering nonlinear effects at the mesostructure, which needs to be interpreted as a 3D structure of bonded fibres rather than an anisotropic solid.
Based on these observations, new theoretical and computational frameworks are developed. All approaches represent the mesostructure as an arrangement of beams and consider debonding and fracture of these beams. |