Mechanical Property And Thermal Stability Characterization Of Additively Manufactured Chicken Feather Fiber/Polybutylene Succinate (PBS) Green Composites And In-Situ Pore Detection From FDM 3d Printing Videos

Author

Md Shariful Islam, Prairie View A&M University

Date of Award

12-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

The poultry industry generates millions of tons of chicken feathers annually, most of which are underutilized and discarded as waste materials. Chicken feather fiber (CFF), primarily composed of keratin, possesses low density, biodegradability, and favorable mechanical properties, making it a promising reinforcement for sustainable composite materials. This research primarily focused on developing sustainable bio-composites using poultry waste, chicken feather fiber, and biodegradable polymers, specifically Polybutylene Succinate (PBS), for additive manufacturing applications. Composite filaments of varying fiber loadings (0.5, 1, and 2 wt%) were produced through filament extrusion and processed into test specimens using fused deposition modeling (FDM).

Mechanical properties were examined by performing tensile and flexural measurements, yield behavior evaluation, and elastic modulus assessment.Microstructural features were observed through SEM imaging and optical analysis using a Motic digital microscope. TGA testing was carried out to evaluate the thermal behavior of the materials. In addition to material characterization, this study also integrated a computer vision approach for automated pore detection during the FDM process, enhancing in-situ monitoring capabilities.

Results indicated that incorporating CFF led to slight reductions in tensile strength but showed improvements in stiffness and partial recovery of flexural properties at higher fiber contents. Notably, the 0.2% offset yield strength exhibited a noticeable improvement when 0.5 wt% carbon fiber filler (CFF) was incorporated, suggesting a greater resistance to the initiation of plastic deformation, even at a relatively low fiber concentration. SEM and optical microscopic analysis provided regular fiber dispersion and satisfactory interfacial adhesion within the PBS matrix. TGA analysis indicated an increase in the initial degradation temperature and a delay in decomposition for CFF-reinforced PBS composites compared to pure PBS. The computer vision model successfully identified pores in the printing videos, indicating its usefulness for real-time quality monitoring.

Overall, this work shows that CFF can be effectively used as a reinforcement for biodegradable PBS in 3D printing applications, thereby addressing poultry waste management while advancing sustainable material development. For future research, it is recommended that continuous or long-fiber reinforcement systems be investigated, as these may significantly enhance mechanical properties, particularly in biomedical or structural load-bearing applications.

Index Terms - 3D printing filament, chicken feather fiber (CFF), computer vision, filament extrusion, mechanical properties, polybutylene succinate (PBS), thermal stability.

Committee Chair/Advisor

Lai Jiang

Committee Member

Jaejong Park

Committee Member

Lin Li

Publisher

Prairie View A&M University

Rights

Date of Digitization

01/05/2026

Contributing Institution

J. B . Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Islam, M. (2025). Mechanical Property And Thermal Stability Characterization Of Additively Manufactured Chicken Feather Fiber/Polybutylene Succinate (PBS) Green Composites And In-Situ Pore Detection From FDM 3d Printing Videos. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-theses/1660