Enhancing the mechanical properties of fused filament fabricated parts by elevating the print room temperature

Additive manufacturing (AM) is currently making a transition from mainly being used for prototyping to an alternative for conventional production methods. AM provides more freedom in design geometry combined with the possibility to produce (complex) products in low quantities. As a result, the need arises for printed parts with consistent...

Critical Parameters in Mode I Interlaminar Fracture Toughness Testing of Thermoplastic Composite Materials

The goal of the thesis (executed for Fokker Aerostructures) was to further the understanding of critical parameters in the DCB test method for thermoplastic composites. The influence of fiber bridging, specimen thickness, insert film thickness, crack length and crack opening rate are investigated by means of experimental DCB tests for...