Tensile behavior of 3D printed polylactic acid (PLA) based composites reinforced with natural fiber

Eliana M Agaliotis BALTAZAR DAVID AKE CONCHA ALEJANDRO MAY PAT Juan Pablo Morales Arias Celina Bernal Alex Valadez González Pedro Jesús Herrera Franco Gwenaelle Proust JUAN FRANCISCO KOH DZUL José Gonzalo Carrillo Baeza Emmanuel Alejandro Flores Johnson (2022, [Artículo])

Natural fiber-reinforced composite (NFRC) filaments for 3D printing were fabricated using polylactic acid (PLA) reinforced with 1–5 wt% henequen flour comprising particles with sizes between 90–250 μm. The flour was obtained from natural henequen fibers. NFRCs and pristine PLA specimens were printed with a 0° raster angle for tension tests. The results showed that the NFRCs’ measured density, porosity, and degree of crystallinity increased with flour content. The tensile tests showed that the NFRC Young’s modulus was lower than that of the printed pristine PLA. For 1 wt% flour content, the NFRCs’ maximum stress and strain to failure were higher than those of the printed PLA, which was attributed to the henequen fibers acting as reinforcement and delaying crack growth. However, for 2 wt% and higher flour contents, the NFRCs’ maximum stress was lower than that of the printed PLA. Microscopic characterization after testing showed an increase in voids and defects, with the increase in flour content attributed to particle agglomeration. For 1 wt% flour content, the NFRCs were also printed with raster angles of ±45° and 90° for comparison; the highest tensile properties were obtained with a 0° raster angle. Finally, adding 3 wt% content of maleic anhydride to the NFRC with 1 wt% flour content slightly increased the maximum stress. The results presented herein warrant further research to fully understand the mechanical properties of printed NFRCs made of PLA reinforced with natural henequen fibers. © 2022 by the authors.

POLYLACTIC ACID (PLA) NATURAL FIBER HENEQUEN FIBER NATURAL FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE (NFRC) ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING 3D PRINTING MECHANICAL PROPERTY INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS TECNOLOGÍA DE MATERIALES PROPIEDADES DE LOS MATERIALES PROPIEDADES DE LOS MATERIALES