Study of impact and fatigue on 3D printed composites

Abstract

Abstract When materials are subjected to impacts, the toughness, stiffness and structural integrity of the material are drastically reduced; resulting in catastrophic failure or life-threatening failure of the structure in extreme scenarios. 3D printed composites parts made out of carbon fibre-reinforcement are used in the design and construction of race cars, drones, high performance sporting equipment and many other applications that require lightweight but strong materials to enhance product performance. Fibre reinforced composites (FRPs) are widely used in the aerospace industry e.g. Boeing 787 is made up of 50% of the composites. In the working and service life of an aircraft, the aircraft may undergo a low velocity impact damage (e.g. Small stone impact during take-off, tool drop during servicing). Contrary to the metals, this impact produces damage that start from back side of the composites; which is difficult to inspect. Further, this impact damage grows due to fatigue and can cause catastrophic failure. Taking in consideration of future scope there is possibility of using 3D printed composites for the aircraft. These 3D printed composites may have different type of damage modes compared to the normal composites. The aim of this article is to study the impact damage at low velocity and fatigue failure on 3D printed composites and the mode of damage in the composite, these damages can be detected by using various ‘Non-destructive test’ (NDT) methods like thermography, laser vibrometer etc.