Representative Volume Element (RVE) Analysis for Mechanical Characterization of Fused Deposition Modeled Components

Polymers

Leonardo Frizziero¹  Elena Fusari¹  Giampiero Donnici¹  Patrich Ferretti¹  Christian Leon-Cardenas¹  Gian Maria Santi¹ 

[1] Department of Industrial Engineering, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, I-40136 Bologna, Italy;

关键词: FEM;    FDM;    additive manufacturing;    microstructure behavior;    linear analysis;    RVE;   

DOI  :  10.3390/polym13203555

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Additive manufacturing processes have evolved considerably in the past years, growing into a wide range of products through the use of different materials depending on its application sectors. Nevertheless, the fused deposition modelling (FDM) technique has proven to be an economically feasible process turning additive manufacture technologies from consumer production into a mainstream manufacturing technique. Current advances in the finite element method (FEM) and the computer-aided engineering (CAE) technology are unable to study three-dimensional (3D) printed models, since the final result is highly dependent on processing and environment parameters. Because of that, an in-depth understanding of the printed geometrical mesostructure is needed to extend FEM applications. This study aims to generate a homogeneous structural element that accurately represents the behavior of FDM-processed materials, by means of a representative volume element (RVE). The homogenization summarizes the main mechanical characteristics of the actual 3D printed structure, opening new analysis and optimization procedures. Moreover, the linear RVE results can be used to further analyze the in-deep behavior of the FDM unit cell. Therefore, industries could perform a feasible engineering analysis of the final printed elements, allowing the FDM technology to become a mainstream, low-cost manufacturing process in the near future.

【 授权许可】

Unknown