Mechanical performance of lightweight ceramic structures via binder jetting of microspheres

Geometrically-complex and lightweight ceramic parts manufactured via 3D printing are prospective structures that seem to provide excellent thermal, wear and dielectric performance. In the present work, binder jetted parts based on synthetic lightweight ceramic hollow microspheres were manufactured and evaluated under different testing conditions in order to characterize their mechanical performance. The resulting structures were assessed in terms of quasi-static flexural and compressive strength, and density. Furthermore, microscopy analyses highlighted the composition of the final structures and fracture mechanisms. The printed system mainly consisted of aluminum silicon dioxide, fly ash and traces of metal. The samples yielded similar strength as that achieved on conventional bulk-based 3D printed ceramic structures. It was observed that the strength of the printed microspheres increased by sintering the parts to near-fusion temperatures due to viscous flow of material during sintering. The combination of the proposed process and feedstock represents an attractive manufacturing method for fabricating lightweight structures for applications like composite tooling molds, electromagnetic devices, and biomedical implants.

Novel Method for the Manufacture of Complex CFRP Parts Using FDM-based Molds

Fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) have attracted much interest within many industrial fields where the use of 3D printed molds can provide significant cost and time savings in the production of composite tooling. Within this paper, a novel method for the manufacture of complex-shaped FRP parts has been proposed. This paper features a new design of bike saddle, which was manufactured through the use of molds created by fused deposition modeling (FDM), of which two 3D printable materials were selected, polylactic acid (PLA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and these molds were then chemically and thermally treated. The novel bike saddles were fabricated using carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), by vacuum bag technology and oven curing, utilizing additive manufactured (AM) molds. Following manufacture the molded parts were subjected to a quality inspection, using non-contact three-dimensional (3D) scanning techniques, where the results were then statistically analyzed. The statistically analyzed results state that the main deviations between the CAD model and the manufactured CFRP parts were within the range of ±1 mm. Additionally, the weight of the upper part of the saddles was found to be 42 grams. The novel method is primarily intended to be used for customized products using CFRPs.

Failure Life Prediction of Hub Bearing in Composite Tooling

Composite work tools have many components, and complex shapes when compared to standard tools such as rotaries and plows. In addition, the component durability for the tools is critical because the load varies severely according to the soil conditions. This study predicts the fatigue life of the hub bearing in composite work tooling. The loads acting on the tools were measured based on field tests, and the loads acting on the hub bearing were derived using the load reconstruction method. The static safety factor and fatigue life of the hub bearing, loads, and contact stress acting on the inner and outer raceways and presence of truncation were analytically predicted based on the derived loads. The fatigue life of the bearing changed depending on the preload amount of the hub bearing. The bearing life was more than 3000 h for preloads of less than 40 μm, which satisfied the target life of 1200 h. The load acting on the inner and outer raceways of the bearing decreased and then increased as the preload amount of the bearing rose. The bearing contact area, maximum contact stress, and number of balls increased as the load applied to the hub bearing rose. The fatigue life, load, contact stress, and static safety factor of the hub bearing met all requirements, and no truncation occurred on the inner and outer raceways of the bearing. The test verified the achievement of the target life of 1200 h and confirmed that there was no breakage, cracking, or deformation of the bearing.

The Use of Recycled Carpet in Low-Cost Composite Tooling Materials

More than 250,000 metric tons (600 million pounds) of carpet are dumped in landfills every year. That creates a significant concern regarding environmental deterioration and economic liability. It is therefore imperative to develop sustainable post-consumer carpet-based products for high-value engineering applications such as composite tooling. To be considered as an acceptable composite tooling material, the composite needs to meet certain required properties such as a low coefficient of thermal expansion, excellent compressive properties, and high a hardness value after repeated exposure to curing cycles. The tooling composites must also exhibit the ability to endure several curing cycles, without deteriorating the mechanical properties. In the present investigation, post-consumer carpet has been recycled in the form of structural composites for tooling applications. The recycled carpet composites have been reinforced with 0.5 wt.% of graphene nanoplatelets to modify the material properties of the carpet composites. The results from compressive and hardness experiments demonstrate that the recycled carpet preserved its mechanical integrity even after several curing cycles. This indicates that recycled carpet composites have the potential to be a low-cost composite tooling alternative for the industry.