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3D-Printed Composite Structures: Design, Properties and Application

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Prof. Dr. Hongyong Jiang

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Guest Editor

School of Mechanical Engineering and Electronic Information, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: 3D printing of continuous fiber composite; mechanics and design of composite structures; multi-scale modeling

Prof. Dr. Guangchao Han

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Guest Editor

School of Mechanical Engineering and Electronic Information, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: micro structured metal 3D printing forming; special energy field assisted forming manufacturing process; selective laser melting (SLM)

Dr. Fuchu Liu

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Guest Editor

School of Mechanical Engineering and Electronic Information, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: 3D printing of ceramics; direct ink writing (DIW)；fused deposition modeling (FDM)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Composite structures have received widespread attention due to their high mechanical properties and lightweight. Thus, they show great potential applications in automotive, aerospace and other industries. However, processing complicated composite structures is still limited by traditional manufacturing methods which also require expensive equipment and complex preparation process. Three-dimensional printing, also known as additive manufacturing, provides solutions for the rapid manufacturing of complex composite structures with integrated forming. Therefore, the development of 3D printing technology has stimulated the advanced design and improvements in mechanical properties and wider applications of composite structures.

The Special Issue of Materials, “Three-Dimensional-Printed Composite Structures: Design, Properties and Application”, aims to present the latest advances focusing on 3D-printed composite structures with polymer, geopolymer, multi-material metal, ceramics, short fiber, continuous fiber, hybrid fiber, etc. In this Special Issue, we invite you to submit a manuscript studying the following, but not limited, topics: 3D printing process, trajectory planning, design, mechanics, structural optimization, etc. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

Materials characterization for 3D printing (e.g., polymer, geopolymer, metal, ceramics, short fiber-reinforced composite, continuous fiber-reinforced composite, hybrid fiber reinforced composite, etc.);
Advanced pre-processing and post-processing technology for 3Dprinting (e.g., heat treatment, surface treatment, hot pressing, prepreg treatment, etc.);
Structural design (e.g., porous structure, honeycomb, lattice, auxetic structure, topology-optimized structure, bio-inspired structure, etc.);
Mechanical properties (e.g., tensile, compressive, bending, impact, vibration, heat transfer, etc.);
3D printing process and trajectory planning;
3D-printing mechanism and theoretical modeling.

Prof. Dr. Hongyong Jiang
Prof. Dr. Guangchao Han
Dr. Fuchu Liu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

3D printing/additive manufacturing
composite structure
3D printing processing
structural design
mechanical property

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4174 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of SLS and mFFF Additive Manufacturing Techniques for the Production of a Metal Specimen

by Andrea Presciutti, Elisa Gebennini, Federica Liberti, Francesca Nanni and Mario Bragaglia

Materials 2024, 17(1), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17010078 - 23 Dec 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 788

Abstract

This work is part of a research project aimed at developing a bio-based binder, composed mainly of polylactic acid (PLA), to produce Ti6Al4V feedstock suitable for use in MAM (Metal Additive Manufacturing) via mFFF (metal Fused Filament Fabrication), in order to manufacture a titanium alloy specimen. While in Bragaglia et al. the mechanical characteristics of this sample were analyzed, the aim used of this study is to compare the mentioned mFFF process with one of the most used MAM processes in aerospace applications, known as Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. Despite the excellent properties of the products manufactured via SLS, this 3D printing technology involves high upfront capital costs while mFFF is a cheaper process. Moreover, the mFFF process has the advantage of potentially being exported for production in microgravity or weightless environments for in-space use. Nevertheless, most scientific literature shows comparisons of the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) printing stage with other AM technologies, and there are no comparative LCA “Candle to Gate” studies with mFFF processes to manufacture the same metal sample. Therefore, both MAM processes are analyzed with the LCA “Candle to Gate” method, from the extraction of raw materials to the production of the finished titanium alloy sample. The main results demonstrate a higher impact (+50%) process for mFFF and higher electrical energy consumption (7.31 kWh) compared to SLS (0.32 kWh). After power consumption, the use of titanium becomes the main contributor of Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Abiotic Depletion Potential (ADP) for both processes. Finally, an alternative scenario is evaluated in which the electrical energy is exclusively generated through photovoltaics. In this case, the results show how the mFFF process develops a more sustainable outcome than SLS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 3D-Printed Composite Structures: Design, Properties and Application)

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15 pages, 8801 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Surface Texture Designs to Improve the Core–Veneer Bond Strength of Zirconia Restorations Using Digital Light Processing

by Kang Dai, Jiang Wu, Zhen Zhao, Hai Yu, Zhe Zhao and Bo Gao

Materials 2023, 16(18), 6072; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16186072 - 05 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1025

Abstract

Veneered zirconia ceramics are widely used for dental restorations. However, the relatively poor bonding strength between the ceramic core and veneer porcelain remains a common problem in clinical applications. To address this issue, this study focused on enhancing the core–veneer bond strength of zirconia restorations through the implementation of surface textures using digital light processing (DLP) technology. The light intensity was precisely tuned to optimize mechanical strength and minimize light scattering. Subsequently, hexagonal or square grids were printed on the surface of the zirconia ceramic core. Following veneering procedures, the shear bond strength (SBS) test was conducted using a universal testing machine. Dates were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the least significant difference (LSD) test. Furthermore, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to examine the failure modes and observe the cross-sectional structures, respectively. The results indicated that the presence of a 0.09 mm high hexagon grid led to a significant 21% increase in the SBS value. However, grids with heights of 0.2 and 0.3 mm showed less improvement, owing to the formation of large defects at the interface during the fusion process. This study demonstrated the potential of DLP technology in preparing zirconia ceramics with complex structures and high mechanical strength, thereby offering promising solutions for overcoming challenges associated with dental applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 3D-Printed Composite Structures: Design, Properties and Application)

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