Electrical resistance-based self-monitoring of manufacturing damage in 3D printed continuous carbon fiber reinforced composites

Abstract

This paper offered a novel approach for self-monitoring manufacturing damage in 3D printed continuous carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRCs). The proposed method utilized the Kelvin Four-terminal sensing technique to measure the electrical resistance of continuous carbon fiber bundles within the composites. By employing this measurement approach, the electrical-resistance-based damage self-monitoring behaviors of different printing parameter combinations manufactured composites were investigated and discussed. The results showed that the straight-line and corner segments of CFRCs printed with different process parameters exhibited similar changes in electrical resistance. Specifically, excessive printing speed and extrusion rate, along with insufficient printing height and temperature, led to an increased change in electrical resistance due to fiber folding and breakage. In addition, these results suggested that the self-monitoring function of CFRCs had the potential to quantify manufacturing damage and optimize the printing process.