Effective thermal conductivity of 3D-printed continuous fiber polymer composites

3D printing, especially fused filament fabrication, presents a potentially attractive manufacturing technique for thermal applications such as polymer heat exchangers due to the ability to create complex internal geometries which can be used to enhance convective heat transfer. Recently, commercial...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advanced manufacturing. Polymer & composites science 2020-01, Vol.6 (1), p.17-28
Main Authors: Ibrahim, Yehia, Elkholy, Ahmed, Schofield, Jonathon S., Melenka, Garrett W., Kempers, Roger
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
3D-printed continuous fiber reinforced polymer composites
Additive manufacturing
Carbon fiber reinforced plastics
Carbon fibers
Conductivity
Continuous fiber composites
Convective heat transfer
Fiber composites
Fiber reinforced polymers
Fused deposition modeling
fused filament fabrication
Heat conductivity
Heat exchangers
Heat transmission
Mathematical models
Mechanical properties
Polymer matrix composites
Polymers
Thermal conductivity
thermal conductivity enhancement
Three dimensional composites
Three dimensional printing
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Summary:3D printing, especially fused filament fabrication, presents a potentially attractive manufacturing technique for thermal applications such as polymer heat exchangers due to the ability to create complex internal geometries which can be used to enhance convective heat transfer. Recently, commercial and modified open-source printers have utilized continuous fibers such as carbon fiber to create continuous fiber reinforced polymer composites (FRPCs) which enhance the mechanical properties of the printed products. This continuous filler network can also serve to improve thermal conductivity. In this study, the effective thermal conductivity of 3D-printed FRPCs is characterized using a steady-state, modified, guarded hot plate apparatus. The effect of the fiber direction and volume fraction on the effective thermal conductivity of the 3D-printed composites was characterized experimentally and modeled analytically using series and parallel models. Thermal conductivities of up to 2.97 W/mK were measured for samples in which the fibers were aligned with the direction of heat flow. Measured values were in good agreement with analytical model predictions. The importance of fiber conductivity on overall performance of the FRPCs was further demonstrated using a handlaid-up, pitch-based carbon fiber sample which exhibited an effective thermal conductivity of 23.6 W/mK.
ISSN:2055-0340
2055-0359
DOI:10.1080/20550340.2019.1710023