Additively manufactured 3D short carbon fiber scaffold for thermoset composites

Short-fiber-reinforced polymer composites offer advantages, like flexibility in complex geometries and cost-effectiveness, but typically exhibit lower mechanical properties because of the random orientation of short fibers. In this work, a novel process utilizing shear force to create 3D scaffold with customized fiber alignment for the manufacturing of short carbon fibers (SCF)-reinforced thermoset composites has been presented. The Computed tomography test confirmed the alignment of the SCF along printing directions. The results demonstrate that the aligned SCF-reinforced epoxy composites exhibited a 190% improvement in tensile strength and 388% improvement in tensile modulus compared to neat epoxy.