Additive manufacturing of Kevlar reinforced epoxy composites

Abstract

Additive manufacturing is defined as layer-by-layer deposition of materials on a surface to fabricate 3D objects with reduction in waste, unlike subtractive manufacturing processes. Short, flexible Kevlar fibers have been used in numerous studies to alter mechanical performance of structural components but never investigated within printed thermoset composites. This study investigates the effects of adding short Kevlar fibers on mechanical performance of epoxy thermoset composites and demonstrates that the addition of Kevlar by 5% in weight significantly improves flexure strength, flexural modulus, and failure strain by approximately 49%, 19%, and 38%, respectively. Hierarchical microstructures were imaged using scanning electron microscopy to observe the artefacts such as porosity, infill and material interdiffusion, which are inherent drawbacks of the 3D printing process.