Investigating Mechanical and Acoustic Properties of 3D Printed Materials: A Focus on Printing Orientation

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ABSTRACT: Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing technology is increasingly applied in geomechanics, petroleum engineering, geothermal, and CO2 storage research, particularly in fracture flow and mechanics. To understand the mechanical characteristics of 3D printed materials, we conducted laboratory experiments examining the effect of printing orientation on the properties of three specimens. These specimens were printed using a FormLabs (3B+) 3D printer at layering angles of 0°, 45°, and 90°, with a resolution of 100μm, and sized 1-inch in diameter and 2-inches in length. We performed triaxial compressive tests, ultrasonic elastic wave velocity measurements, and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests using an Autolab 1500 test frame. Incremental confining pressures from 1 MPa to 20 MPa were applied to explore static and dynamic mechanical properties. The UCS tests showed that all samples exhibited ductile behavior with similar stiffness and yield strength across different layering angles, demonstrating a stiffness of approximately 4 GPa and compressional wave velocities between 2555-2580 m/s at zero confining pressure. The findings confirm the mechanical and acoustic consistency of the samples, supporting their suitability for advanced geomechanical applications. 1. INTRODUCTION Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, also known as advanced manufacturing (AM), is a rapidly developing field that has revolutionized manufacturing processes across various industries including aerospace (Richter & Lipson, 2011), automotive (Rahim & Maidin, 2014), healthcare (Logan & Duddy, 1998), petroleum engineering (Li et al., 2021), and geomechanics (Phillips et al., 2021). This technology uses computer-aided design (CAD) to create three-dimensional objects by adding material layer by layer using almost any type of material such as polymers, and ceramics. Thermoplastic urethane and metals can also be employed as raw material (Gopinathan & Noh, 2018). There are several techniques involved in 3D printing, including Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Digital Light Processing (DLP), Binder Jetting, and Material Jetting. Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages (Jandyal et al., 2022), and the choice of technique depends on the type of object being printed, the desired resolution, and the available materials. With the increasing popularity and availability of 3D printing technology, it is now relatively easy to create custom objects, prototypes, and even entire structures using 3D printing. Among the available techniques, SLA is known for producing high-resolution objects with smooth surfaces. SLA was first developed in the early 1980s by Kodama, 1981 and called Rapid Prototyping (RP).