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A comparative study of the tensile properties of compression molded and 3D printed PLA specimens in dry and water saturated conditions

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Abstract

This research work presents a comparative study of the tensile properties of polylactic acid (PLA) specimens per ASTM D638-14 fabricated by compression molding and 3D printing. PLA pellets from one batch are used in compression molding and filament extrusion for 3D printing. The compression molding process parameters are optimized to obtain an upper limit for mechanical properties of PLA specimens. Design of experiments (DoE) is used to evaluate the effect of processing temperature, pressure, and dwell time on the tensile properties of the specimens. The optimum compression molding trial resulted in slightly higher modulus for tensile specimens compared to 3D printing (3.33 GPa versus 3.22 GPa), while the average tensile strength was almost identical (59.9 MPa). Water absorption test is performed to evaluate moisture absorption of tensile specimens and compare their tensile properties in water saturated condition to the properties of dry specimens. 3D printed specimens showed a significant degradation of their tensile strength and modulus in water saturated condition by 28.4 % and 7.2 %, respectively. On the other hand, the tensile strength of the optimum compression molded specimens was decreased by only 12.0 %, while there was an increase of 14.1 % in tensile modulus.

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Abbreviations

WAP:

Weighted average property

σU :

Mean tensile strength

E:

Mean modulus

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Amirmohammad Rahimizadeh who performed DSC testing on PLA pellets for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aerospace Engineering, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Vikas Chandran, Jordan Kalman & Kazem Fayazbakhsh

  2. Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Habiba Bougherara

Authors
  1. Vikas Chandran
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  2. Jordan Kalman
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  3. Kazem Fayazbakhsh
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  4. Habiba Bougherara
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Habiba Bougherara.

Additional information

Habiba Bougherara is a Professor of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada. She received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from École Polytechnique Montreal. Her research interests include advanced composite materials, modelling and mechanical characterization, biomaterials and biomechanics.

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Chandran, V., Kalman, J., Fayazbakhsh, K. et al. A comparative study of the tensile properties of compression molded and 3D printed PLA specimens in dry and water saturated conditions. J Mech Sci Technol 35, 1977–1985 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-021-0415-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-021-0415-5

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