Fibre Reinforced Additive Manufacturing of Eco-efficient Topology Optimised Structures
D. Canosa Ybarra (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
K. Masania – Mentor (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
C.V. Jansari – Mentor (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
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Abstract
Advanced Tape Layer Additive Manufacturing (ATLAM) combines the structural performance of automated tape laying with the geometric freedom of additive manufacturing. A Geometric Projection Topology Optimisation (GPTO) framework has been developed for ATLAM that simultaneously optimises structural stiffness and eco-efficiency, but had not yet been experimentally validated. This thesis develops a desktop-scale ATLAM workflow using a conventional FDM printer with an in-house automated compactor tool to embed continuous carbon fibre reinforced tapes within a thermoplastic substrate. Four topology-optimised Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm beam designs were manufactured and tested. The finite element model accurately predicts substrate-only stiffness within 7%, but overpredicts tape-reinforced stiffness by up to 88.5%, attributed to a shear lag effect. Despite this, GPTO achieves the highest stiffness-to-weight ratio of 9.78 kN/mm/kg and leads all designs on stiffness-to-embodied-CO₂, outperforming the density-based industry standard and demonstrating the potential of GPTO for eco-efficient ATLAM structural design.