Additive Manufacturing and Characterization of Sustainable Wood Fiber-Reinforced Green Composites

• Published in: Journal of composites science 2023-12, Vol.7 (12), p.489
• Main Authors: Billings, Christopher, Siddique, Ridwan, Sherwood, Benjamin, Hall, Joshua, Liu, Yingtao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3-D printers; 3D printing; Additive manufacturing; Carbon footprint; Cellulose; Composite materials; Composite structures; composites; Composition; Contact stresses; Design optimization; Digital imaging; Engineering; Environmental stewardship; Failure mechanisms; Fiber composites; Fiber reinforced polymers; Forest products; Fused deposition modeling; Green technology; Honeycomb structures; Innovations; Manufacturing; Material properties; Materials research; Materials science; Mechanical properties; Mechanical tests; Methods; Modulus of elasticity; Performance evaluation; Polylactic acid; Polymers; Recycling; Renewable resources; Strain concentration; Stress concentration; sustainability; Tensile strength; Three dimensional composites; Three dimensional printing; Ultimate tensile strength; wood fiber; Wood fibers
• ISSN: 2504-477X; 2504-477X
• DOI: 10.3390/jcs7120489

Enhancing mechanical properties of environmentally friendly and renewable polymers by the introduction of natural fibers not only paves the way for developing sustainable composites but also enables new opportunities in advanced additive manufacturing (AM). In this paper, wood fibers, as a versatile renewable resource of cellulose, are integrated within bio-based polylactic acid (PLA) polymer for the development and 3D printing of sustainable and recycle green composites using fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology. The 3D-printed composites are comprehensively characterized to understand critical materials properties, including density, porosity, microstructures, tensile modulus, and ultimate strength. Non-contact digital image correlation (DIC) technology is employed to understand local stress and strain concentration during mechanical testing. The validated FDB-based AM process is employed to print honeycombs, woven bowls, and frame bins to demonstrate the manufacturing capability. The performance of 3D-printed honeycombs is tested under compressive loads with DIC to fully evaluate the mechanical performance and failure mechanism of ultra-light honeycomb structures. The research outcomes can be used to guide the design and optimization of AM-processed composite structures in a broad range of engineering applications.