Failure Analysis of Additive Manufactured

Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastics

Siddharth M. Nayak, P. Balachandra

Shetty, R. K. Mishra, Sudheer Reddy &
G. R. Viraj

Journal of Failure Analysis and

Prevention

ISSN 1547-7029

J Fail. Anal. and Preven.

DOI 10.1007/s11668-019-00620-2

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 Author's personal copy
J Fail. Anal. and Preven.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-019-00620-2
TECHNICAL ARTICLE—PEER-REVIEWED
Failure Analysis of Additive Manufactured Fiber-Reinforced
Thermoplastics
Siddharth M. Nayak . P. Balachandra Shetty . R. K. Mishra .
Sudheer Reddy . G. R. Viraj
Submitted: 1 December 2018 / Accepted: 11 March 2019
 ASM International 2019
Abstract In the present work, a comprehensive study is
undertaken to analyze the mechanical strength and failure
of different polymers reinforced with adaptable fibers. For
the purpose of analyzing tensile strength, specimens as per
ASTM standards with different permutations and combi-
nations of polymers with fibers were additively
manufactured and tested. Three different sets of samples,
namely ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PLA
(polylactic acid) and onyx in combination with other syn-
thetic fibers such as carbon and Kevlar, were used. These
materials, i.e., ABS, PLA and onyx in combination with
carbon fiber, have generated a healthy response to tensile
loading and exhibited much higher peak load with larger
plastic phase. Also, these additive manufactured fiber-re-
inforced thermoplastics’ failure was analyzed using von
Mises criterion and is found to be within the recommended
limit. These reinforced thermoplastics can be used for
manufacturing of tiny, intricate and complex parts for
medical applications.
Keywords Additive manufacturing  Thermoplastics 
Failure analysis  Fiber reinforced
S. M. Nayak  P. Balachandra Shetty  S. Reddy  G. R. Viraj
Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India
R. K. Mishra (&)
Regional Centre for Military Airworthiness, Bangalore, India
e-mail: rkmishra.drdo@gmail.com
Introduction
Additive manufacturing (AM) technology has recently
come into use for rapid manufacturing of complicated
parts. However, producing a functional product with AM
technology is still a challenging task. Several factors affect
the mechanical properties of components produced through
AM. The constituents building the parts are the most
important aspects in AM process. Using fibers or any other
additives in manufacturing of smart composites opens up
wide transformation in the field of fiber-reinforced ther-
moplastics, and this has become possible by AM. AM
technology allows the production of tiny, intricate and
complex tools with multiple parts by using advanced bio-
compatible materials, especially for medical applications
[1]. The current scenario of this technology as published by
Taufik et al. [2] orates the use of AM in prototyping and
new product development. Onyx is also in extensive use in
aerospace industry along with carbon fibers through AM
[3]. Additive manufacturing method exhibits superior
mechanical properties due to the continuous fiber rein-
forcement of fibers. The process also allows fabricating
parts without the need for intermediate shaping tools. One
of the main limitations of the AM technology is related to
the mechanical properties of the part and load carrying
capacity in particular. The use of reinforcement material
could be a way to improve the mechanical properties of the
components produced by fused deposition method (FDM).
Most frequently used polymers in AM process are ABS,
PLA and of late the introduction of onyx. Acrylonitrile
butadiene styrene (ABS) is one of the most widely used
and versatile thermoplastics. It is an amorphous blend
consisting of three monomers: acrylonitrile, butadiene and
styrene [4]. Acrylonitrile adds chemical and thermal
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enhancements to the structure. Butadiene contributes to
increased toughness and impact strength to the plastic.
Styrene adds a sleek, glossy surface to the plastic. These
three monomers are typically added together in specific
proportions of 15–35% acrylonitrile, 5–30% butadiene and
40–60% styrene. A small change in any one of the
monomers can create drastic changes in the mechanical and
physical properties of ABS. ABS atom consists of double
bonds and triple bonds, which are comprised of sigma
bonds between hybridized orbitals, and pi bonds between
unhybridized p-orbitals. Double bonds offer added stability
to compounds and restrict any rotation around the bond
axis.
Battegazzore et al. [5] have studied the strength of PLA
(polylactic acid) components fabricated using fused depo-
sition method. PLA is different from most thermoplastic
polymers, and it is derived from renewable resources like
corn starch or sugar cane. Most plastics, by contrast, are
derived from the distillation and polymerization of nonre-
newable petroleum reserves. Plastics that are derived from
biomass are known as ‘‘bioplastics.’’ PLA is classified as a
‘‘thermoplastic’’ polyester, as opposed to ‘‘thermoset,’’ and
the name has to do with the way the plastic responds to
heat. This material melts at a much lower temperature,
which attributes to its chemical structure formed from
single and double bonds compared to double and triple
bonds in ABS. As PLA is made from organic material,
specifically cornstarch and sugarcane, this makes the
material both easier and safer to use, while giving it a
smoother and shinier appearance that is more aesthetically
pleasing. Onyx material is an engineering-grade thermo-
plastic. It is a new plastic that can be used as an alternative
to tough nylon material. Additive manufactured onyx
yields stiff, strong and accurate parts. It can be reinforced
with any continuous fiber. Onyx sets the bar for surface
finish, chemical resistivity and heat tolerance too.
In additive manufacturing, the very first step is to design
the model of parts to be 3D printed. The development of
plastics has come about following the realization that by
binding synthetic fibers together with various plastics will
result in very light, strong and durable materials. Few
synthetic fibers used for this work are carbon fiber, Kevlar
fiber, HSHT (high strength high thermal) fiber and fiber
glass. Yang et al. [6] have characterized carbon fibers for
various applications. Carbon fiber was originally developed
for space technology, but has now been adopted in many
other fields. Carbon fiber has a tensile strength almost three
times greater than that of steel, yet it is 4.5 times less dense.
The use of carbon fiber is one of the most recent devel-
opments in the field of fiber-reinforced materials. Kevlar is
used for rubber reinforcement as in disk brakes, in armor
jackets and also in hot zones of aero engines [7]. Kevlar-49
fiber has a tensile strength comparable with that of carbon
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J Fail. Anal. and Preven.
fiber, a modulus between those of glass and carbon fibers
and a lower density than both. HSHT is a material uniquely
designed for applications in high-temperature environ-
ments. 3D printing of fiber glass-reinforced HSHT is the
most common type of fiber-reinforced plastics mainly
because its production time is approximately 50% slower
than 3D printing with standard fiberglass [8]. Here the
fibers are randomly arranged and made into sheets and
mats. The plastic matrix may be epoxy, polyester resin or a
thermoplastic. Biodegradable polymers belong to a family
of polymer materials that found applications ranging from
medical applications including tissue engineering, wound
management, drugs delivery and orthopedic devices to
packaging and films applications [9]. Thermoplastics
reinforced with fibers have been used for many medical
applications [10].
In the present paper, a comprehensive approach has
been undertaken to study the mechanical properties of
thermoplastics like onyx, ABS, PLA for their use in
medical applications. It also aims to study the same when
reinforcement is introduced with various synthetic fibers
like carbon fibers, Kevlar fiber, glass fibers and HSHT
fibers. The aim is to characterize the effect of fibers rein-
forcement on the thermoplastics and to interpret their
mechanical properties along with failure analysis.
Methodology
For the study of mechanical properties of thermoplastics,
three sets of tensile test specimens of various materials are
additively manufactured as per standard ASTM D3039.
The first set of specimens was made of polymer PMMA
(polymethyl methacrylate), PLA, onyx, nylon, HIPS (high
impact polystyrene) and ABS without the addition of
fibers. The second set of specimens was prepared by adding
carbon fibers with onyx, ABS, PC (polycarbonate) and
PLA. The third set of specimens was made with only onyx
which was blended with various other fibers such as Kev-
lar, HSHT, fiber glass and carbon fiber. Specimens were
fabricated through fused filament fabrication process for
which a thermoplastic filament was fused and extruded
through a moving nozzle. In the fabrication process, each
model was oriented along distinct direction of 45. In all
models, reinforcement infill densities are kept constant.
The specimen fabrication was constructed using MakerBot
replicator machine which is shown in Fig. 1. The manu-
facturing of the test specimens was carried under control
environment and parameters for obtaining desirable output.
Necessary actions were taken to reduce moisture and dust
inside the room during the process. A thermoplastic fila-
ment and continuous fibers were separately supplied to the
MakerBot replicator, and the fibers were impregnated with
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J Fail. Anal. and Preven.
the filament within the heated nozzle of the printer
immediately before printing. PLA, ABS, onyx and PC were
used as the matrix while carbon fibers were used as the
reinforcements. The filament and fiber bundles were heated
to 210 C in the nozzle, while the temperature of the hot
table was set to 80 C. A layer height of 0.03 mm was
maintained with a feeding rate of 40 mm/s.
Testing of the specimens was carried out on a universal
testing machine (UTM), an Electronic Tensometer Model
PC-2000, as shown in Fig. 2. It combines the state-of-the-
art computer technology and precision manufacturing
techniques to offer a unique mini horizontal UTM.
Results and Discussion
The failure of the specimens is characterized according to
von Mises theory where the material yields when the dis-
tortion energy density reaches a critical value for that
Fig. 1 Replicator machine for fabrication of fiber-reinforced
thermoplastic specimens
Fig. 2 Universal testing machine for testing of thermoplastic
specimens
material. The critical value of the distortional energy can
be estimated from the uniaxial tensile test. At the instance
of yielding in a uniaxial tensile test, the state of stress in
terms of principal stress (r1) is given by: r1 = rY (yield
stress) and the other directional principal stresses r2 =
r3 = 0. Chakrabarty et al. [11] have mentioned that the
material yields when the von Mises stress exceeds the yield
stress obtained in a uniaxial tensile test as given in Eqs 1
and 2. Thus, the failure analysis of the polymer materials
presented here will be carried out by the norms of von
Mises stress criteria as per the following equations.
1þ# 2 1þ# 2
rVM  r ðEq 1Þ
3E 3E Y
Therefore,
r2VM  r2Y ðEq 2Þ
As mentioned by Banabic et al. [12], polymers are gener-
ally anisotropic in mechanical response due to high degrees
of molecular and structural orientation in processing.
Unless special precautions are made to ensure an isotropic
sample, it can usually be assumed that a polymer sample is
mechanically anisotropic. In the additive manufacturing,
adequate measures were taken to get isotropic specimens.
All the specimens were tested on the UTM. The test results
of the first set of specimens are presented in Fig. 3.
Tensile tests for the specimens, which contain PMMA,
PLA, onyx, nylon, HIPS and ABS without the addition of
fibers, were carried out with a constant rate of loading of
0.5 mm/min until break. A peak load of 510 N was noted
for a displacement of 7.67 mm. ABS is a oil-based plastic
and has high melting point which clearly indicated that its
bonds are stronger and the material is highly durable. The
failure was considered to be brittle as the material did not
show any sign of yield, and also the crack propagation was
observed to be slant with no necking during any stage of
yielding. A similar nature was also observed in case of
Fig. 3 Loading characteristics of various thermoplastics
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PLA. For PLA, it was observed that the load carrying
capacity is considerably better than ABS as PLA fractures
at around 100 N higher than ABS. In case of onyx, a peak
load of 450 N was noted for a displacement around
29.5 mm. It is also observed that this material has an
elongated plastic zone. This is due to the fact that the
material is a fusion of nylon which is a polyamide with
carbon fibers. In nylon, there was almost no delamination,
and also it has very high interlayer adhesion. Nylon has an
excellent strength-to-flexibility ratio. The binding between
the threads is comparatively higher than with ABS or PLA,
despite being subject to load until break. The failure here
was also considered to be brittle as the material did not
yield. The crack propagation was observed to be slant.
Onyx exhibits high plasticity which is not seen in ABS and
PLA which elongates only up to 8.0 mm, but onyx elon-
gates up to 29.0 mm. Now if the load carrying capacity of
onyx is increased than with this plastic nature property,
onyx can be of great use to 3D printing field.
In the second set of test specimens, onyx, ABS, PC and
PLA are blended with carbon fiber. Carbon fiber being the
most popular synthetic fiber was considered first, and the
test specimens in combination with other polymers were
3D printed. The test results are shown in Fig. 4. Onyx with
carbon fiber showed good load carrying capacity, and thus,
it stands out of all the other combinations.
The above performance is attributed to the fact that
carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites possess
many unique capabilities that translate into desirable pro-
duct benefits. Carbon fiber is a very rigid material, with
Young modulus of 240 GPa. The higher the Young’s
modulus (E), the greater the rigidity of the material. Carbon
fiber of high modulus (improved strength) typically has a
Young’s modulus of 500–1000 GPa. Alone or in combi-
nation, these benefits provide meaningful motivation to
utilize carbon fiber composites in a broad spectrum of
Fig. 4 Loading characteristics for PLA, ABS and onyx with carbon
fiber
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J Fail. Anal. and Preven.
applications. Carbon fiber composites are the pinnacle of
thermoplastic performance. They combine high levels of
stiffness, strength and toughness, together in a single
material.
In the third set of specimens, onyx was embedded with
different fibers Kevlar, HSHT and glass fibers, and carbon
fiber. These specimens were subjected to tensile loading,
and the load–displacement characteristics are presented in
Fig. 5.
The onyx is a fusion of engineering nylon and chopped
carbon fiber. Nylon structure contains repeating units of
carbon atoms. The addition of this chopped carbon fiber
increases its stiffness to 3D printed parts, not only pro-
viding microcarbon reinforcement to keep parts true to
their dimensions, but also giving parts a smooth, matte
black finish.
Even though the polymers are generally anisotropic in
mechanical response due to high degree of molecular and
structural orientation, special precautions are taken to
ensure isotropic samples while additively manufactured.
With regard to the failure pattern choosing a standard rate
of loading, it is possible to adopt yield and failure functions
such as the von Mises criterion for the purpose of analysis.
In this context, the current approach is phenomenological
for observing the yielding pattern in polymers. In general,
polymers show types of yield like homogeneous defor-
mation to rupture with rubbery behavior or brittle failure
often accompanied by crazing or necking and cold drawing
accompanied by shear banding. All of these behaviors
could be seen in the samples tested. Accordingly, using the
von Mises criterion it was found that the specimens’
behavior was within the recommended limit. The output of
the present study paves the way for the use of the fiber-
reinforced thermoplastics produced through additive man-
ufacturing route for highly delicate and precision
applications.
Fig. 5 Loading characteristics of onyx with other fibers
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J Fail. Anal. and Preven.
Conclusion
The present study on fiber-reinforced thermoplastics made
from PMMA, PLA, onyx, nylon, HIPS, ABS with and
without fibers and other combinations produced through
additive manufacturing evolves the following conclusions:
• Specimens produced from PLA plastic were found to
have greater stiffness and a greater yield load than ABS
parts, but both exhibited brittle nature and caused
catastrophic failure.
• Specimen produced from onyx experienced greater
elongation before failure. Effective strain at failure was
generally greater for onyx.
• Samples produced from PLA and ABS failed through a
brittle fracture. But, onyx exhibited ductile fracture and
displayed toughness through enriched plastic nature.
• Onyx samples reinforced with carbon fibers displayed
the most favorable mechanical properties including
peak load and stiffness.
• Onyx samples also exhibited highest level of toughness
and larger strain compared to the same combination as
those of PLA and ABS.
• Onyx material reinforced with Kevlar fiber, HSHT fiber
and fiber glass exhibited healthy response to tensile
loading and also exhibited much higher peak load with
larger plastic phase compared to any other combination
of synthetic fiber.
• Therefore, the best possible combination to have higher
peak load and greater toughness for a nonbrittle failure
will be onyx material with synthetic fibers like fiber
glass and HSHT fiber. Onyx with impregnation of these
fibers is about six times stronger than pure onyx. Onyx
is found to have excellent dimensional stability and the
impeccable surface finish. Onyx needs no dyeing to
hide internal honeycombs, no chemical baths or
sanding to get rid of those annoying 3D printed ridges,
and no filler putties or materials to fill in gaps from
warping.
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