Mechanics of bioinspired functionally graded soft-hard composites made by multi-material 3D printing

Mohammad Mirzaali Mazandarani, A. Herranz de la Nava, D. Gunashekar, M. Nouri-Goushki, R. P.E. Veeger, Q. Grossman, L. Angeloni, M. K. Ghatkesar, L. E. Fratila-Apachitei, D. Ruffoni, E. L. Doubrovski, A. A. Zadpoor

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

65 Citations (Scopus)
39 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Functional gradients are material transitions that are found in nature and are known to result in materials with superior properties and multiple functionalities. The emerging multi-material 3D printing (=additive manufacturing, AM) techniques provide a powerful tool for the design and fabrication of bioinspired functionally graded materials (FGMs). In particular, the spatial distribution of materials can be controlled at the level of individual volumetric pixels (voxels i.e., cubes with side lengths of 20–40 μm), thereby ensuring accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility of the obtained properties and allowing for systematic studies of how various design variables affect the deformation and fracture behaviors of FGMs. Here, we designed, 3D printed, and mechanically tested tensile and notched FGMs specimens with step-wise (i.e., 5-, 10-, and 15-steps) and continuous (sigmoid and linear) gradients. The deformation and fracture mechanisms of these FGM composites were studied using digital image correlation, digital microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. We further characterized the chemical composition and local mechanical properties of FGM composites using XPS and nanoindentation measurements, respectively. Tensile test specimens with a continuous gradient (i.e., linear) exhibited much higher Young's moduli (≈3-folds) and ultimate strengths (≈2-folds) but lower elongations (≈2-folds drop) as compared to those with stepwise gradients (i.e., 5-steps). Similarly, notched specimens with linear gradients exhibited 2-folds higher values of the stiffness and fracture stress, but 1.5-folds lower fracture strains as compared to those with 5-steps gradients. Although we found non-uniform highly concentrated strain distributions in all specimens, FGMs with linear gradients showed a smoother strain distribution and smaller crack blunting zones as compared to those with stepwise gradients. Our results imply that for stiffness and strength linear-gradient perform better than abrupt hard-soft-hard specimens.

Original languageEnglish
Article number111867
Number of pages10
JournalComposite Structures
Volume237
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020

Bibliographical note

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care
Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.

Keywords

  • Fracture toughness
  • Functionally graded materials
  • Hard-soft interfaces
  • Multi-material 3D printing

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Mechanics of bioinspired functionally graded soft-hard composites made by multi-material 3D printing'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this