Bending behaviour of a topologically optimised ABS mesostructures 3D printed by the FDM process: numerical and experimental study

Abstract

This paper is intended to investigate numerically and experimentally the influence of raster angle on the structural performance of an optimised printed structure.The topology optimisation (TO) problem for compliance minimisation using Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization (SIMP) method has been solved with a Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB) beam under three-point bending, then the resulting optimal design was additively manufactured using Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) with varying raster angle. The mechanical behaviour of these geometries was investigated and compared. A numerical approach has been developed through a script in Python based on the G-code file and integrated into an ABAQUS to create a virtual sample identical to the physical specimen. The numerical results were coupled with an experimental investigation.The investigation presented in this work showed that the choice of raster significantly affects on the mechanical performance of the printed optimised structures. Indeed, the optimised structure printed with a 90 raster angle has the highest performance in contrast to 45 and 0, while the optimised structure printed at a 45 raster angle has an average performance. The experimental test validated the numerical data with an error of approximately 1.09%. Our numerical results are in good conformity with the experimental outcomes.In this research, we studied the impact of three raster angles (90, 45 and 0) on the mechanical behaviour of a FFF optimised part. The subsequent study will focus on the other print parameters, including the other raster angles.The analysis presented in this paper can be used for manufacturing a FFF optimised structure.This paper evaluates the effect of raster angle in printed optimised structures using a novel numerical approach. The presented results will establish a reference that many researchers can gear to develop the fabrication of TO structures by incorporating printing parameters.