Feasibility study of prestressed natural fiber-reinforced polylactic acid (pla) composite material

The feasibility of manufacturing prestressed natural-fiber reinforced biopolymer composites is demonstrated in this work. The objective of this study was to illustrate that the specific mechanical properties of biopolymers can be enhanced by leveraging a combination of additive manufacturing (3D printing) and post-tensioning of continuous natural fiber reinforcement. Tensile and flexural PLA specimens were 3D-printed with and without post-tensioning ducts. The mechanical properties of reinforcing fibers jute and flax were characterized prior to post-tensioning. The effect of matrix cross-sectional geometry and post-tensioning on the specific mechanical properties of PLA were investigated using mechanical testing. Numerical and analytical models were developed to predict the experimental results, which confirm that 3D-printed matrices improve the specific mechanical properties of PLA composites and are further improved via initial fiber prestressing. The results suggest that both additive manufacturing and fiber prestressing represent viable new methods for improving the mechanical performance of natural fiber-reinforced polymeric composites.