Effects of low temperature an‎d heat treatment process on the fracture behavior of FDM parts with metallic reinforcements

12/14/2026 12:00:00 AM

In recent years, the capability of the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technique for producing components with complex geometries has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers. Despite the various advantages of this method, the relatively poor mechanical properties of FDM-fabricated parts have limited their use across many key industries. To overcome this significant limitation, a growing number of studies have focused on strengthening FDM products. These efforts can generally be classified into two main groups: reinforcing FDM materials an‎d strengthening FDM structures. A review of previous literature shows that most studies have primarily concentrated on eva‎luating basic mechanical properties, while the fracture behavior of FDM reinforced parts has received far less attention. To eliminate this research gap, the present study aims to provide a comprehensive theoretical an‎d experimental investigation into the fracture behavior of FDM components with metallic reinforcements implemented based on material an‎d structural reinforcement methods. Initially, this study focuses on eva‎luating the effectiveness of a common material reinforcement technique, the addition of particulate additives. The impact of this approach on load-bearing capacity an‎d fracture micro-mechanisms is examined under mixed-mode I/II loading conditions. This eva‎luation goes beyond experimental analysis; theoretical estimations of the load-bearing capacity are also carried out using fracture mechanics criteria. Additionally, the fracture surfaces of the samples are analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to better understan‎d the fracture micro-mechanisms of the tested specimens. Subsequently, this study introduces the Concurrent Channel Reinforcement (CCR) method, a novel technique proposed for reinforcing FDM structures. One of the key factors of this approach is the bonding strength between the embedded fibers an‎d the polymer matrix, which is thoroughly assessed by performing a series of fiber pull-out tests. Based on these test results, pre-cracked specimens with varying fiber volume fractions are fabricated an‎d tested to eva‎luate the effectiveness of CCR in enhancing the fracture resistance of FDM specimens. Additionally, this investigation explores the influences of printing parameters, loading, an‎d environmental conditions on CCR performance. Throughout the experimental testing, specimens are monitored using the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique to precisely measure Notch Opening Displacement (NOD) of the tested specimens in addition to their fracture strength. Furthermore, Finite Element analysis (FE) is conducted to provide a more accurate understan‎ding of the stress distribution within the polymer matrix an‎d at the fiber/matrix interfaces across different cases. In addition to the experimental eva‎luations, fracture mechanics criteria are employed to theoretically estimate the fracture loads of the reinforced specimens. Finally, a detailed analysis is conducted on the surface characteristics of the reinforcing fibers an‎d the fracture micro-mechanisms of the examined FDM specimens.

مدلسازي رسوب گذاري مذاب , تقويت‌كننده‌هاي ذره‌اي , عمليات حرارتي , اثر دماي محيط , الياف بلند

Fused Deposition Modeling , Particulate additives , Heat treatments , Environmental temperature

Hadi Sadeghian

Majid Reza Ayatollahi