Enhancing the Strength of Polylactic Acid Material by Bonding Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Plates With Various Fabric Weights and Orientations

This study investigates the impact of applying bidirectional glass fiber fabric-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite coatings to the top and bottom surfaces of three-dimensional printed polylactic acid (3D-printed PLA) parts on their mechanical properties. The study uses tensile, three-point bending tests, and finite element method (FEM) analysis to examine how the coatings affect the PLA parts. The objective is to enhance the mechanical properties of PLA parts produced by additive manufacturing (AM) so that they can be used in applications requiring high strength. The study involves bonding bidirectional GFRP composites to the outer surfaces of 3D-printed PLA parts using epoxy adhesive to create sandwich-structured composite materials. Two different types of bidirectional glass fiber fabric (GFF) with low weight (25 g/m2) and high weight (100 g/m2) are used as reinforcement materials, while epoxy serves as the matrix material in the composite coatings. The production process involves creating bidirectional-GFF reinforcement materials in two layers, cut at 0° and 45° orientation angles, and bonding them to PLA specimens with epoxy adhesive. Mechanical tests demonstrate increased tensile and flexural strength of PLA parts coated with bidirectional GFRP composite compared to uncoated PLA material. The finite element analyses that simulated tensile and flexural tests showed consistent computational results with experimental findings.