Material Card Development
Experimental characterization and model calibration (microstructure, mechanical, thermal, viscoelastic) to generate validated material cards for 3D printing simulations.
Overview
Developed complete, orthotropic material cards for three carbon-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (50% CF-PPS, 20% CF-PEI, 25% CF-PESU), enabling accurate extrusion-based AM simulations. Work conducted with Techmer and Lockheed Martin. (Barocio et al., 2022)
Experimental-to-simulation workflow for material card generation.
Approach
- Printed and tested coupons in printing, transverse, and stacking directions
- Quantified fiber-orientation tensors using optical microscopy and X-ray CT
- Performed DMA for viscoelastic behavior (Prony-series fitting)
- Used DSC to characterize crystallization and melting profiles
- Compiled complete orthotropic property sets for final material cards
Required properties and corresponding ASTM standards.
Key Results
- Delivered fully validated material cards for all three material systems
- Implemented cards in ADDITIVE-3D; validated part deformation accuracy
- Produced comprehensive technical documentation for partners
Impact
Provides physics-based material inputs for AM simulations, improving deformation prediction and enabling reliable parametric studies for design and process optimization.
Tools
DSC, DMA, TGA, X-ray CT, optical microscopy, MTS tensile frames, MATLAB, Python, ADDITIVE-3D
