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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Hassan Gonabadi, Dr Adrian OilaORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© The Author(s) 2025.Mechanical characterisation of 3D-printed composite materials using conventional methods, such as tension and compression tests, faces several challenges, including precise machining of complex geometries, difficulties in testing materials with time-dependent properties, and extensive sample preparation to account for varying build orientations and raster angles. Accurately characterising the mechanical properties of composite constituents is further complicated by their anisotropic nature, visco-plastic behaviour, and phase interactions at the micro-scale. Traditional nano-indentation techniques often suffer from inaccuracies due to pile-up effects and time-dependent deformations in polymer matrices. To overcome these challenges, this study introduces an innovative methodology that integrates nano-indentation and micro-mechanical analysis of a representative volume element (RVE) to determine orthotropic engineering constants. Experimental nano-indentation, coupled with atomic force microscopy, is used to obtain load–displacement curves and residual indentation marks, whilst an inverse finite-element method accounting for neighbouring phase effects and polymer matrix creep properties enhances prediction accuracy. The stiffness properties of composite constituents derived from this method are employed in an RVE-based micro-mechanical model, with effective orthotropic engineering constants validated through experimental tensile and shear tests using the Digital Image Correlation technique. This approach not only enhances micro-mechanical characterisation accuracy but also reduces the need for extensive experimental testing, offering a cost-effective and scalable solution for evaluating 3D-printed composite materials. Additionally, it bridges the gap between microstructural and bulk property measurements, reducing test sample manufacturing costs and minimising the need for repetitive experimental trials.
Author(s): Gonabadi H, Zamani Miandashti Z, Oila A
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Progress in Additive Manufacturing
Year: 2025
Pages: epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 08/05/2025
Acceptance date: 21/04/2025
Date deposited: 20/05/2025
ISSN (print): 2363-9512
ISSN (electronic): 2363-9520
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40964-025-01131-3
DOI: 10.1007/s40964-025-01131-3
Data Access Statement: No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study
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