Graduation Semester and Year

2019

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

First Advisor

Robert M Taylor

Abstract

3-D printing has enabled flexible, tool-less fabrication that yields numerous benefits. One benefit is unique and complex structural arrangements that increase design freedom to minimize weight. Such arrangements can be guided by advanced topology, shape, and sizing optimization tools using appropriate process constraints to ensure a printable design and can include highly integrated structural details such as stiffeners, flanges, frames, and other connections. 3D printing thin wall aircraft structures presents challenges for material and structural characterization. 3D printing enables integrated structural details, each detail is affected by the print process capability to fabricate the local geometry and deviations from designed geometry and structural connectivity can result in quite different structural capability from the design intent. The present work seeks to characterize the effect of print orientation on static response of thin wall structures using calibration factors on local geometric details. The approach is implemented using a wide stiffened beam printed using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). This work adds an equivalent stiffness analytical model to predict beam performance. An analytical model has been developed for a stiffened beam representation that has been calibrated with coupon test data that incorporates print orientation effects. The calibrated analytical model results are compared with the actual experimental test results, FE results. In addition, the calibrated analytical model is compared with the results obtained using published mechanical properties from the Stratasys for ABS M30. The calibrated analytical model shows better results than the published values in comparison to experimental and FE results.

Keywords

3D printing, Thin-walled structures, Fused deposition modeling

Disciplines

Aerospace Engineering | Engineering | Mechanical Engineering

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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