TAGS: 3D Printing
Researcher from the University of Miami has invented a new 3D printing technique to create a lightweight, yet strong, composite for the aviation industry.
Overcoming the Roadblock with New Method
Emrah Celik, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering had a theory to add carbon fibers to a substance called thermoset composites to create a new type of material that’s lighter, yet stronger than aluminum and steel. But the roadblock was in the 3D printing process. During the fabrication phase, the fibers tended to clump together, clogging the printer’s nozzle.
So, Celik employed a little ingenuity to solve the problem, inventing a new 3D printing method—vibration-assisted additive manufacturing—that used mechanical vibration to prevent the fibers from clustering together during the critical extrusion phase.
“I also used shorter fibers with chemically modified surfaces to minimize the attraction between the fibers and maximize the adhesion to the thermoset matrix,” explained Celik. “
Compared to traditional composite manufacturing, this allows us to fabricate thermoset composites in any shape and size, and with unprecedented mechanical performance.”
New Lighter Thermoset Composite
While the thermoset composite is 80 percent lighter than steel and 50 percent lighter than aluminum, it packs a fiber reinforcement volume up to 46 percent, eight times higher than what was achievable with the unmodified fabrication process.
The new research has the potential to revolutionize the aviation and space industries, allowing aerospace engineers to design craft that are lighter but strong enough to carry heavier loads.
The vibration-assisted additive manufacturing technique to make the composite possible is just as groundbreaking.
Source: University of Miami