Mechanical and self‐sensing properties of 3D printed continuous carbon fiber reinforced composites

Abstract

The additive manufacturing technology of continuous carbon fiber reinforced composites (CCFRCs) based on fused filament fabrication offers new opportunities for the preparation and application of composites. This study prepared CCFRCs with excellent mechanical properties based on 3D printing technology. At the same time, a stress–strain and damage sensing method for the CCFRCs is proposed. Research results show that the maximum tensile stress and tensile modulus of 3D printed CCFRCs are 3.36 times and 5.10 times that of PLA, while the maximum flexural stress and flexural modulus are 3.24 times and 4.90 times that of PLA. Furthermore, the stress–strain and damage of CCFRCs strongly correlate with the resistance change in 3D printed structures. The state of the CCFRCs can be sensed by the change of resistance in the structure. Finally, the application potential of 3D printed CCFRCs self‐sensing specimens in action recognition of finger joints was discussed through experiments.

Fused deposition modeling of carbon‐reinforced polymer matrix composites: A comprehensive review

“…The resistance of the CF in the fingers varies with the load applied to the hand, and the minute variation in resistance can be used to assess the health of the fingers. Ye et al 37 demonstrated the potential of FDM‐printed CF/PLA composites for identifying finger motor joints.…”

Impact of fiber‐type and autoclave‐treatment at different temperatures on the mechanical properties and interface performance of various fiber‐reinforced 3D‐printed composites

“…[ 4–8 ] Additive manufacturing technology has attracted abundant attention in a variety of manufacturing areas, including optical, automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and construction industries, as it can rapidly and efficiently produce 3D products with a wider variety of materials, complicated structures, and integrated functions. [ 9–15 ] Several 3D printing technologies utilized are thermoplastic extrusion (ME), electron beam melting (EBM), laminated object manufacturing (LOM), selective laser melting (SLM), direct ink writing (DIW), selective laser sintering (SLS), and stereolithography (SL). [ 16–22 ]…”

Process optimization of continuous flax fiber/polylactic acid prepreg filaments toward high performance 3D‐printed composites

“…Tensile and bending experiments demonstrated that 3D printed composites exhibit significantly improved mechanical properties compared to pure resin matrix. 14 However, the inadequate impregnation of fiber tows presents high porosity and low-quality stability, and their mechanical properties are much lower than the theoretical value. 15,16 Feeding continuous fiber prepreg filaments is an alternate way to print CFRC to overcome the impregnating issue because the high-viscosity thermoplastic resin can impregnate the continuous fiber filaments before the 3D printing process and the porosity within the 3D printed composites is reduced.…”