Thermal cycling, microstructure and tensile performance of PLA-PHA polymer printed using fused deposition modelling technique
ISSN: 1355-2546
Article publication date: 15 August 2019
Issue publication date: 8 January 2020
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the effect of printing temperature on the thermal and the mechanical behaviour of polylactic acid (PLA)-polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) blend printed using fused deposition modelling (FDM).
Design/methodology/Approach
Because of the use of an infra-red camera, thermal cycling during the laying down is quantified. In addition, X-ray micro-tomography is considered to reveal the microstructural arrangement within the three-dimensional printed material. Tensile loading conditions are used to derive Young’s modulus, tensile strength and fracture toughness, and relate these to the printing temperature. Finite element computation based on three-dimensional microstructure information is used to predict the role of defects on the tensile performance.
Findings
The results show a remarkable cohesive structure of PLA-PHA, particularly at 240°C. This cohesive structure is explained by the ability to ensure heat accumulation during laying down as evidenced by the nature of thermal cycling. The printing temperature is found to be a key factor for tuning the ductility of the printed PLA-PHA allowing full restoration of tensile strength at high printing temperature.
Originality/value
This study reports new results related to the thermo-mechanical behaviour of PLA-PHA that did not receive much attention in three-dimensional printing despite its potential as a candidate for pharmacological and medical applications. This study concludes by a wide range of possible printing temperatures for PLA-PHA and a remarkable low porosity generated by FDM.
Keywords
Citation
Guessasma, S., Belhabib, S. and Nouri, H. (2020), "Thermal cycling, microstructure and tensile performance of PLA-PHA polymer printed using fused deposition modelling technique", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 122-133. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-06-2019-0151
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited