EFFECT OF SIDE WALLS ON THE THREE-POINT BENDING BEHAVIOR OF PLA AND PETG SANDWICH STRUCTURES MANUFACTURED BY FDM PRINTING

Authors : Huseyin Erdem Yalkın

Pages : 527-535

Doi:10.46519/ij3dptdi.1734696

View : 58 | Download : 125

Publication Date : 2025-12-28

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study experimentally investigated the three-point bending behavior of Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) sandwich structures produced using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing technology, comparing configurations with and without side walls. Four material formulations were tested: PLA, PLA+, PETG, and Hyper PETG, with specimens manufactured using optimized printing parameters. The experimental findings demonstrated that side walls significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of sandwich structures, including flexural strength, flexural modulus, and energy absorption capacity. PLA+ specimens with side walls exhibited the highest overall performance, showing a 10.2% increase in maximum stress, 37.2% improvement in energy absorption, and 5.4% enhancement in elongation. PLA materials generally exhibited higher stiffness and strength values compared to PETG materials, with PLA+ achieving maximum stress values of 43.4 MPa. Distinct failure modes were observed, with specimens without side walls showing facesheet buckling and core-face delamination, while specimens with side walls demonstrated distributed failure patterns. These results emphasize that side walls serve as an effective design parameter for improving sandwich structure performance, and material selection should be tailored to application requirements.
Keywords : FDM, PLA, PETG, Sandwich Structures, Three-Point Bending, Side-Wall Effect.

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