Macdonald, Robert (2018) Strength Properties of Fused Deposition Modelling Components Produced with XT-CF20 Carbon Fibre Filament. [USQ Project]
Abstract
The role that additive manufacturing plays in the prototyping phase of design is increasing as the technology matures. 3D printers using fused deposition modelling (FDM) are becoming common, as is the availability of exotic, high strength print media. However, is difficult to predict the failure of FDM printed components as the printer settings significantly dictate the mechanical properties of the material.
The Air Vehicle Team at Airbus Australia Pacific (AAP) can 3D print components using a filament that contains 20% carbon fibre, which exhibits high strength and stiffness. To certify the strength of the 3D printed components and allow the production of flyable prototypes, material properties and design limits need to be established. This project aims to identify the strength of 3D printed components produced at AAP and determine properties for modelling the material in finite element analysis (FEA).
A review of available literature regarding strength properties and FEA modelling of FDM produced components identified that the printer settings most influential on the components strength are the print orientation and the infill (raster) orientation. Previous studies also showed that FDM components can be successfully modelled in FEA using 3D orthotropic properties to simulate the material.
Test specimens for four different test methods were printed with AAP’s FDM 3D printer using fixed printer parameters and varying the print and infill orientations. These test specimens were tested for tensile, compressive, flexural and bearing strength. The results of these test were used to produce design limits for the material and to create a 3D orthotropic material in FEA.
The testing concluded that the strengths of the parts are greatly dependant on the print orientation in the first instance and infill orientation in the second. Design limits for each print orientation in each assessed failure mode are presented. Using the properties gained in the testing phase, a 3D orthotropic material was able to be created and analyses were run to show a strong correlation with test results.
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| Item Type: | USQ Project |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (1 Jul 2013 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Epaarachchi, Jayantha; House, Andrea |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) |
| Date Deposited: | 31 Aug 2022 01:51 |
| Last Modified: | 29 Jun 2023 01:53 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | fused deposition modelling (FDM); finite element analysis (FEA); XT-CF20 carbon fibre filament |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/40706 |
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