Session: Research Posters

Paper Number: 113800

113800 - Mechanical Property Characterizations of Woven Natural Fiber-Reinforced Biopolymers 3d Printed Through a Laminated Object Manufacturing Process 

Laminated-object manufacturing (LOM) is one such technology that creates a solid physical model by stacking layers of sheet material that have each been cut to outlines that correspond to the cross-sectional forms of a CAD model that has been divided into layers. To construct the part, cut layers are successively layered and bonded on top of the preceding ones. Excess material in each layer remains in situ to support the entire item during construction. Paper, cardboard, and plastic sheet stock with thicknesses ranging from 0.05 to 0.50 mm (0.002 to 0.020 in) are common feedstock materials in LOM, while many other engineering materials are being investigated and tested by researchers around the world. Other engineering materials being used include fiber-reinforced polymers. While synthetic fibers provide excellent mechanical properties and allow for versatile design possibilities, environmental and economic considerations are driving research into the development and production of new materials for industries such as transportation, sporting goods, and musical instruments. New materials that are based on natural renewable resources and prevent further environmental stressors are of special importance. Among these materials, natural fiber-reinforced polymers are gaining popularity as a potential replacement for glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites due to numerous advantages such as low cost, biodegradability, low carbon footprint, acceptable mechanical properties, and society's emphasis on environmental issues and sustainability. Combinations of natural fiber and biopolymers, which make the final product fully biodegradable, are attracting much interest from many researchers.

Mechanical properties of bio-polymers reinforced by woven natural fibers additively manufactured through the LOM technology are investigated in this research, where the advantages of both the material and process are combined into a sustainable practice. Selected woven natural fibers with higher mechanical properties are used as reinforcements to strengthen three types of bio- and synthetic polymers in creating highly biodegradable biocomposites. Such materials, as one of the prospective solutions for synthetic composites, can be used in fields such as car panels, construction materials, and sports and musical instruments. The authors designed and made a LOM 3D printer prototype, which uses a laser to cut prepregs consisting of woven natural fiber reinforcement impregnated with PLA biopolymers and then thermally pressed together. All biocomposites created in this study had their tensile and flexural properties assessed using ASTM test standards and compared to similar values measured from pure biopolymer specimens. The team discovered that biocomposites have improved mechanical characteristics. The polymer infusing and fiber-matrix binding scenarios were identified using SEM imaging.

Presenting Author: Lai Jiang Prairie View A&M University

Presenting Author Biography: Lai Jiang is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at PVAMU. He has more than 10 years of expertise in natural fiber reinforced biocomposites manufacturing and has published more than ten peer-reviewed journal and conference articles in this area. He also has expertise in additive manufacturing, machine design, and automation. He has many on-going research and educational projects supported by NSF, DOE, and Shell the oil company currently going on.

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