ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF COMPOSITES WITH SHORT-FIBER REINFORCEMENT

摘要

Additive manufacturing of composites with short-fiber reinforcement. In an embodiment, an extrusion channel is supplied with a composite ink comprising short fibers, and the composite ink is extruded out of a material outlet of the extrusion channel, while vibrating the extrusion channel and the material outlet by one or more vibration motors along one or more vibration axes, to fabricate a three-dimensional composite structure. The short fibers may comprise milled carbon fibers having an average length of 50 μm or less and an average aspect ratio of 4.5 or less, and the composite ink may comprise a high fiber volume ratio (e.g., 27+%). Despite analytical models that predict otherwise, the composite structures, resulting from disclosed embodiments, have enhanced strength.