Fiber Orientation Quantification for Large Area Additively Manufactured Parts Using SEM Imaging

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Additive Manufacturing
• Polymer Composites

Background:

• Polymer-based additively manufactured parts offer design freedom but often have limited structural and thermal performance.
• Carbon fiber reinforcement enhances mechanical properties and dimensional stability of polymers.
• Local fiber orientation significantly affects composite performance, necessitating analysis and correlation with processing parameters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel approach using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for analyzing spatially varying fiber orientation in additively manufactured composites.
• To quantify internal fiber orientation in large-area beads of carbon fiber-reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).
• To investigate the impact of process parameters (extrusion speed, raster height, temperature zones) on fiber orientation.

Main Methods:

• Sample preparation for SEM imaging of additively manufactured composite beads.
• SEM image acquisition and analysis using the method of ellipses (MoE) to quantify fiber orientation.
• Correlation of spatially varying fiber orientation with processing parameters.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated novel application of SEM for obtaining local fiber orientation in 3D printed composites.
• Quantified fiber orientation variations within individual processed beads.
• Observed an overall aligned fiber orientation state along the deposition direction.

Conclusions:

• SEM is an effective method for characterizing fiber orientation in additively manufactured composites.
• Processing parameters significantly influence fiber alignment, impacting composite properties.
• Understanding and controlling fiber orientation is crucial for optimizing the performance of 3D printed reinforced polymers.