Dimensional considerations on the mechanical properties of 3D printed polymer parts

Elmrabet, N and Siegkas, P ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9528-2247, 2020. Dimensional considerations on the mechanical properties of 3D printed polymer parts. Polymer Testing, 90: 106656. ISSN 0142-9418

Preview

Text 1337329_a1570_Siegkas .pdf - Post-print Download (434kB) | Preview

Abstract

Additive manufacturing offers a useful and accessible tool for prototyping and manufacturing small volume functional parts. Polylactic acid (PLA) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) are amongst the most commonly used materials. Characterising 3D printed PLA and TPU is potentially important for both designing and finite element modelling of functional parts. This work explores the mechanical properties of additively manufactured PLA/TPU specimens with consideration to design parameters including size, and infill percentage. PLA/TPU specimens are 3D-printed in selected ISO standard geometries with 20%, 60%, 100% infill percentage. Tensile and compression test results suggest that traditional ISO testing standards might be insufficient in characterising 3D printed materials for finite element modelling or application purposes. Infill percentage in combination to design size, may significantly affect the mechanical performance of 3D printed parts. Dimensional variation may cause inhomo-geneity in mechanical properties between large and small cross section areas of the same part. The effect was reduced in small cross section parts where reducing the nominal infill had less effect on the resulting specimens. The results suggest that for 3D printed functional parts with significant dimensional differences between sections, the material properties are not necessarily homogeneous. This consideration may be significant for designers using 3D printing for applications, which include mechanical loading.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Polymer Testing
Creators:	Elmrabet, N. and Siegkas, P.
Publisher:	Elsevier
Date:	October 2020
Volume:	90
ISSN:	0142-9418
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2020.106656 DOI S0142941820306243 Publisher Item Identifier 1337329 Other
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	16 Feb 2021 11:16
Last Modified:	07 Jun 2023 03:00
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/42311

Actions (login required)

Edit View

Statistics

Views

Downloads