Microscopic void distribution of 3D printed polymer composites with different printing direction

Abstract

The microscopic void distribution of 3D printed short fiber reinforced polymer composites with different printing direction was studied in this paper. The internal voids including the independent voids and connected voids were quantitatively counted by high-resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) method. After the CT scan, the specimens were subjected to compression tests. Experimental results showed that the void volume of the specimens with the 0° printing direction was much higher than that with 45°/−45° and 0°/90° printing directions, and the connected voids were dominant. By comparison, the out-of-plane compressive resistance of 0° printed specimen was lower than that of the other two printing directions because of higher proportion of internal voids.