3D-printing technology is opening up new possibilities for the co-printing of sensory elements. While quasi-static research has shown promise, the dynamic performance has yet to be researched. This study researched smart 3D structures with embedded and printed sensory elements. The embedded strain sensor was based on the conductive PLA (Polylactic Acid) material. The research was focused on dynamic measurements of the strain and considered the theoretical background of the piezoresistivity of conductive PLA materials, the temperature effects, the nonlinearities, the dynamic range, the electromagnetic sensitivity and the frequency range. A quasi-static calibration used in the dynamic measurements was proposed. It was shown that the temperature effects were negligible, the sensory element was linear as long as the structure had a linear response, the dynamic range started at ∼ 30 μ ϵ and broadband performance was in the range of few kHz (depending on the size of the printed sensor). The promising results support future applications of smart 3D-printed systems with embedded sensory elements being used for dynamic measurements in areas where currently piezo-crystal-based sensors are used.

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In this paper, the cutting front development during abrasive water jet (AWJ) cutting is studied using a two-dimensional cellular automata (CA) model, hence the striation formation phenomenon is studied indirectly. To calculate the shape of the cutting front, the CA model uses the following inputs: cutting velocity, AWJ intensity and material type. The cutting process is described by simplified material removal and AWJ propagation models in the form of CA rules. The rules encompass AWJ ability to erode the workpiece material and, inversely, the workpiece material's resistance to the erosion process. The proposed CA model is validated by checking the trend of the cutting front development at various input parameters. The simulation results are in good agreement with experimentally obtained trends and thus confirm the proper setup of CA rules. This gives a better insight into the AWJ cutting mechanism.

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