Optimizing the Properties of Polymers and Composites Made by Additive Manufacturing

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The proposed program of research centers on the analysis and modeling of the relationship between processing, structure, and mechanical properties of materials made using digital additive manufacturing. The term "additive manufacturing", also known as "3D printing", describes a number of different processes in which a solid component is constructed by depositing very thin layers of material that fuse or bond to the material of the previously deposited layer. Commercial machines have been made to deposit a variety of materials in this way: polymers, metals, ceramics, composites, and even biocompatible human tissue scaffolds. In all cases, the individual layers (and eventually the entire part) are rendered directly from a digital file. This allows for a very quick turnaround between the conception of a part and the creation of the actual three-dimensional object. Hence additive manufacturing has also been widely referred to as "rapid prototyping".******For a non-functional prototype, material properties are often not very important, however the current transition from additive prototyping to additive manufacturing suggests that an understanding of the relationship between manufacturing parameters, materials, and component integrity will become a critical issue over the next decade. ******Fused filament fabrication is one of the key additive technologies, and involves the deposition of thin molten filaments of thermoplastic, layer by layer. The resultant mechanical properties are known to be dependent on material, temperature, print speed, fill pattern, and porosity. We are planning to initiate a research program centered on the structural analysis of FDM parts and fracture surfaces using a variety of techniques.  We will discover relationships between the structure and final properties, and will make recommendations about the optimal structures for digitally printed materials.  We will also learn how the processing conditions control structure, so that we can find best way to make low-cost rapid prints of parts that can be used in structural applications.  **