Woven Natural Fiber-Reinforced Pla Polymer 3d Printed Through A Laminated Object Manufacturing (Lom) Process

Author

Sazidur Rahman Shahriar, Prairie View A&M University

Date of Award

12-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Degree Discipline

Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

This investigation explored an innovative additive manufacturing method that employed laminated object manufacturing (LOM) technology in combination with woven natural fiber-reinforced biopolymer. Conventional synthetic composites are made from crude oil that are nonrenewable and have few options for disposal or recycling, rendering them ecologically unfavorable. Integration of continuous woven natural fiber with polylactic acid (PLA) markedly enhances the mechanical strength to ensure complete biodegradability. Woven natural fiber-reinforced biocomposites are considered a promising alternative to synthetic composites. The potential applications of these fiber-reinforced PLA polymers include vehicle panels, construction materials, athletics equipment, and musical apparatuses.

The author has developed and constructed a prototype LOM 3D printer for this research. The LOM 3D printer prototype utilized a laser to cut the woven Jute/PLA, and the melted PLA powder helped to bond successive plies. The tensile and flexural characteristics of the LOM-printed biocomposites were assessed. For comparison,

corresponding values were measured from Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D-printed pure PLA specimens. The infusion of PLA polymer and the bonding with fiber were subsequently investigated under a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) by examining the cross-sections of the failed test specimens. The experiment results revealed that LOM 3D-printed biocomposites exhibited improved mechanical properties compared to FDM-printed pure PLA specimens. Additionally, the author conducted a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulation and compared it with the experimental outcomes. This research study successfully integrated the advantages of both material and process, consolidating them into a unified and sustainable approach.

Index Terms- Additive manufacturing, biocomposites manufacturing, finite element analysis (FEA), laminated object manufacturing (LOM), mechanical properties, polylactic acid (PLA), scanning electron microscope (SEM), woven natural fiber.

Committee Chair/Advisor

Lai Jiang

Committee Member

Xiaobo Peng

Committee Member

Jaejong Park

Committee Member

Jeffrey Streator

Publisher

Prairie View A&M University

Rights

Date of Digitization

12/011/2023

Contributing Institution

John B Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Shahriar, S. R. (2023). Woven Natural Fiber-Reinforced Pla Polymer 3d Printed Through A Laminated Object Manufacturing (Lom) Process. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-theses/1526