The z-axis-inclined 3D printing process using short carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites offers the potential for the support-free fabrication of complex structures and theoretically unlimited extension of...The z-axis-inclined 3D printing process using short carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites offers the potential for the support-free fabrication of complex structures and theoretically unlimited extension of printed components.It has emerged as a promising approach for in-orbit manufacturing of high-performance thermoplastic composite truss structures.However,extreme conditions of the space environment,such as high vacuum and fluctuating high-low temperatures,significantly alter the heat-transfer behavior during the printing process,often resulting in dimensional inaccuracies and degraded mechanical performance.Existing process optimization strategies fail to account for the coupled effects of vacuum and thermal extremes,limiting their applicability in guiding process design under varying vacuum temperature conditions.To address this gap,this study establishes a truss3D printing experimental platform with in situ temperature-monitoring capability under ground-simulated space conditions.It systematically investigates the effects of printing speed and structural geometry on the pre-bonding surface temperature and forming quality of truss structures in high-low temperature vacuum environments.This study reveals the mechanism by which processing and structural parameters affect the component performance through their influence on the pre-bonding surface temperature and dimensional accuracy.The experimental results show that under high-temperature vacuum conditions,the pre-bonding surface temperature is relatively high,resulting in good interfacial bonding.However,increasing the printing speed reduces the forming accuracy and leads to a decline in mechanical performance.In contrast,under low-temperature vacuum conditions,where the pre-bonding surface temperatures are lower,increasing the printing speed within a specific range effectively increases the surface temperature and bonding quality,thereby improving mechanical properties.Additionally,owing to frequent path transitions,the diagonal-strut truss exhibits a lower forming accuracy and pre-bonding surface temperature than the infilling truss,resulting in inferior mechanical performance in high-low temperature vacuum environments.展开更多
Three-dimensional(3D)printing of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites(CFRTPs)provides an ef-fective method for manufacturing the CFRTPs parts with complex structures.To increase the mechanical per-formance...Three-dimensional(3D)printing of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites(CFRTPs)provides an ef-fective method for manufacturing the CFRTPs parts with complex structures.To increase the mechanical per-formance of these parts,a 3D printing technology for short-continuous carbon fiber synchronous-reinforced thermoplastic composites(S/C-CFRTPs)has been proposed.However,the synchronous reinforcement that ex-isted only at particular positions led to a limited improvement in the mechanical performance of the 3D-printed S/C-CFRTP part,which made it challenging to meet the engineering requirements.To solve this problem,two methods for achieving synchronous reinforcement at all the positions of the 3D-printed S/C-CFRTP part are pro-posed.To determine a suitable printing process for the S/C-CFRTP part,a comprehensive comparison between the two methods was conducted through theoretical analysis and experimental verification,involving the print-ing mechanism,fiber content,impregnation percentage,and mechanical performance.The results indicated that the towpreg extrusion process was suitable for manufacturing the 3D-printed S/C-CFRTP part.Compared with the in situ impregnation process,the towpreg extrusion process led to a fiber content increase of approximately 7%and void rate reduction of approximately 6%,resulting in 19%and 20%increases in the tensile and flexural strengths of the 3D-printed S/C-CFRTPs,respectively.Additionally,an optimized process parameter setting for fabricating an S/C-CFRTP prepreg filament with excellent mechanical performance was proposed.The findings of this study can provide a new approach for further improving the mechanical performance of the 3D-printed advanced composites.展开更多
基金supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2023YFB4605301)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52130506)。
文摘The z-axis-inclined 3D printing process using short carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites offers the potential for the support-free fabrication of complex structures and theoretically unlimited extension of printed components.It has emerged as a promising approach for in-orbit manufacturing of high-performance thermoplastic composite truss structures.However,extreme conditions of the space environment,such as high vacuum and fluctuating high-low temperatures,significantly alter the heat-transfer behavior during the printing process,often resulting in dimensional inaccuracies and degraded mechanical performance.Existing process optimization strategies fail to account for the coupled effects of vacuum and thermal extremes,limiting their applicability in guiding process design under varying vacuum temperature conditions.To address this gap,this study establishes a truss3D printing experimental platform with in situ temperature-monitoring capability under ground-simulated space conditions.It systematically investigates the effects of printing speed and structural geometry on the pre-bonding surface temperature and forming quality of truss structures in high-low temperature vacuum environments.This study reveals the mechanism by which processing and structural parameters affect the component performance through their influence on the pre-bonding surface temperature and dimensional accuracy.The experimental results show that under high-temperature vacuum conditions,the pre-bonding surface temperature is relatively high,resulting in good interfacial bonding.However,increasing the printing speed reduces the forming accuracy and leads to a decline in mechanical performance.In contrast,under low-temperature vacuum conditions,where the pre-bonding surface temperatures are lower,increasing the printing speed within a specific range effectively increases the surface temperature and bonding quality,thereby improving mechanical properties.Additionally,owing to frequent path transitions,the diagonal-strut truss exhibits a lower forming accuracy and pre-bonding surface temperature than the infilling truss,resulting in inferior mechanical performance in high-low temperature vacuum environments.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52130506)Dalian Municipal Science and Technology Innovation Foundation of China(Grant Nos.2021RD08,2022JJ12GX027).
文摘Three-dimensional(3D)printing of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites(CFRTPs)provides an ef-fective method for manufacturing the CFRTPs parts with complex structures.To increase the mechanical per-formance of these parts,a 3D printing technology for short-continuous carbon fiber synchronous-reinforced thermoplastic composites(S/C-CFRTPs)has been proposed.However,the synchronous reinforcement that ex-isted only at particular positions led to a limited improvement in the mechanical performance of the 3D-printed S/C-CFRTP part,which made it challenging to meet the engineering requirements.To solve this problem,two methods for achieving synchronous reinforcement at all the positions of the 3D-printed S/C-CFRTP part are pro-posed.To determine a suitable printing process for the S/C-CFRTP part,a comprehensive comparison between the two methods was conducted through theoretical analysis and experimental verification,involving the print-ing mechanism,fiber content,impregnation percentage,and mechanical performance.The results indicated that the towpreg extrusion process was suitable for manufacturing the 3D-printed S/C-CFRTP part.Compared with the in situ impregnation process,the towpreg extrusion process led to a fiber content increase of approximately 7%and void rate reduction of approximately 6%,resulting in 19%and 20%increases in the tensile and flexural strengths of the 3D-printed S/C-CFRTPs,respectively.Additionally,an optimized process parameter setting for fabricating an S/C-CFRTP prepreg filament with excellent mechanical performance was proposed.The findings of this study can provide a new approach for further improving the mechanical performance of the 3D-printed advanced composites.
