Experimental Investigation of FDM-Printed SCFR-PLA Composites Used to Fabricate Blades for Medium-Sized Wind Turbines
摘要
New blade designs are created using ABS material. Compared to ABS, PLA composites are easier to print. Therefore, the main objective of this work is to optimize the 3D printing parameters for fabricating small and medium-sized horizontal-axis wind turbine blades using SCFR-PLA material. The fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology is gaining significant attention for its capability to rapidly prototype high-performance parts across various fields, particularly in the manufacture of blades for small and medium-sized wind turbines. In this paper, FDM is utilized to print SCFR-PLA composites. The study primarily focuses on experimental tensile tests to explore the impact of FDM parameters on the mechanical properties of the 3D-printed samples, specifically targeting Young’s modulus (E) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS). Mechanical properties are analyzed in relation to process variables, which are the carbon reinforcement percentage, the layer thickness, the raster angle, and the infill percentage. This study investigates the effects of different FDM parameters on the printing of SCFR-PLA composite parts and optimizes the FDM parameters to enhance the mechanical performance of SCFR-PLA composites, which will be used to fabricate blades for small and medium-sized wind turbines.