This article focuses on 3D printing of continuous glass fiber reinforced composites-polylactic acid by fused deposition modeling. An innovative continuous fiber reinforced composite 3D printer and self-made continuous glass fiber reinforced filament-polylactic acid are applied to study the influences of process parameters including printing temperature, speed, layer height, and fiber volume fraction on mechanical properties of continuous glass fiber reinforced composites-polylactic acid printing samples. Tensile and three-point bending tests are carried out to explore the mechanical responses of printed samples. Experimental results show that the mechanical properties of continuous glass fiber reinforced composites-polylactic acid printing samples are better than those of polylactic acid samples. The tensile and flexural strengths of the specimens are increased by 400% and 204% when the fiber volume fractions are about 5.21% and 6.24%, respectively. The microscopic observations of the fracture surfaces of the tensile samples are also conducted to analyze the influences of layer heights on tensile strength and failure mechanism.
Influence of marine environment on mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced composites
