Abstract
AbstractFiber‐reinforced polymers are widely used as lightweight materials in aircraft, automobiles, wind turbine blades, and sports products. Despite the beneficial weight reduction achieved in such applications, these composites often suffer from poor recyclability and limited geometries. 3D printing of liquid crystal polymers into complex‐shaped all‐fiber materials is a promising approach to tackle these issues and thus increase the sustainability of current lightweight structures. Here, we report a spin‐printing technology for the manufacturing of recyclable and strong all‐fiber lightweight materials. All‐fiber architectures are created by combining thick print lines and thin spun fibers as reinforcing elements in bespoke orientations. Through controlled extrusion experiments and theoretical analyses, we systematically study the spinning process and establish criteria for the generation of thin fibers and laminates with unprecedented mechanical properties. The potential of the technology is further illustrated by creating complex structures with unique all‐fiber architectures and mechanical performance.
Highlights
Fiber-reinforced polymers are widely used as lightweight materials in aircraft, and tendons to wood and spider webs.[1,2,3,4,5,6] The enhanced mechanical properties of automobiles, wind turbine blades, and sports products
The diameter of the print line depends on the nozzle size and the printing height, whereas the diameter of the spun fiber is determined by the feed rate and the translation velocity of the print head
In a structure subjected to tensile loading along the longitudinal direction it is desirable to print strong and stiff print lines that follow the stress lines generated in this loading configuration
Summary
The spin-printing process involves three main operation modes: 1) regular printing through deposition of molten print lines, 2) printing-to-spinning transition, 3) spinning of the fiber in the air (Figure 1). To evaluate the effect of the orthogonal spin-printed fibers on the mechanical properties of the bulk laminates, we measured the fracture strength and elastic modulus of specimens subjected to tensile loading along the longitudinal (0°) and transverse directions (90°). Experiments with other laminate architectures reveal that spun fibers provide more effective transverse reinforcement compared to orthogonal print lines or printed layers at the same volume fraction (Figure S6, Supporting Information). In addition to reinforced bulk laminates, the ability to spin-print fibers with high mechanical properties can be exploited to fabricate complex fiber-based structures that are not accessible using conventional manufacturing approaches (Figure 4) We illustrate this potential by spin-printing a range of objects with fiber architectures that are deliberately designed to leverage the high strength and stiffness of spinprinted fibers under tensile loading (Figure 4a). This stiffening concept is potentially applicable to structures with other geometries, as long as the fiber architecture is designed such that the spanning fibers are subjected to tensile loading
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