Mechanical Characterization of 3D-Printed Banana Fibers Reinforced PLA Biocomposite

Abstract

3D printing uses computer-aided design and layering to create three-dimensional objects. Many researchers are exploring different materials for 3D printing. One of the avenues is reinforcing natural fibers with polymer material due to their biodegradability and better mechanical properties. The primary goal of this study is to explore the use of banana fibers with polylactic acid (PLA) for 3D printing using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). This paper investigates the effect of natural fibers reinforcement on mechanical characteristics, additionally, the influence of FDM process variables such as nozzle size, infill patterns, layer thickness, and nozzle temperature on mechanical properties are also studied. To determine the significance of these process factors, Variance Analysis (ANOVA) was used, and Taguchi L16 was employed to design the experiments. In this investigation, to perform the mechanical tensile test and flexural test, specimens were printed from banana fibers/PLA biocomposite according to ASTM standards. Items printed with 0.8 mm nozzle size, cubic infill pattern, 0.3 mm thickness of layer, 200°C, showed maximum values for flexural strength, tensile strength, tensile modulus, and flexural strength. Among the 3D-manufactured composite test specimens, 3% banana fibers composition showed a maximum modulus of 985 MPa, a flexural strength maximum of 151 MPa, a maximum of 32 MPa tensile strength, and a maximum of 2452 MPa flexural modulus. The fracture surface's SEM micrograph showed interfacial bonding and fiber pull-out.