Tensile Performances of Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites with holes processed by 3D Printing, Laser and Drilling

The continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites (called CFRTPCs) have been used in transportation, aerospace, sports and leisure products because of their great green recyclability and mechanical performances. This study evaluated the 3D printing process for the rapid manufacturing of CFRTPCs. The effect of laser and drilling processes, the size and shape of holes on mechanical performances of CFRTPCs were evaluated individually and mutually. The results proved that the small holes and low fiber content helped improve the strain at break while the big holes and the high fiber content helped improve the ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus. The ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus of specimens with square or big holes were higher than those of samples with circle or small holes. The ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus of specimens with circle holes by laser were higher than those of samples with circle holes by drilling while the trend of strain at break was opposite. The micro morphology of the tensile breakage was observed and analysed to study the failure mechanism. This work makes an important contribution to the design of 3D printed CFRTPCs parts with holes.