Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Structural Lightweight Design of Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elasticity Fabricated by Fused Deposition Modeling

  • Original Research Article
  • Published:
Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Lightweight and durable flexible materials with good mechanical properties, reliability, and excellent environmental compatibility have been increasingly widely applied in the field of wearable devices, microelectronics, and soft robots. An orthogonal experimental method was applied to fabricate thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber (TPU) using fused deposition melting technology. The influence of three processing parameters on the mechanical property of the samples was investigated. The optimized printing parameters are 230 °C for the nozzle temperature, 0.1 mm for the thickness of the printing layer, and 100% for the filling percentage. The relationship between the fracture surface and the filling angle of the specimen under tensile stress was analyzed. To realize the lightweight of planar structural materials by melt deposition molding, nine types of planar porous structures were designed based on different average connectivity. The tensile stress simulation was carried out to obtain further the distribution of stress and the location of stress concentration. The relationship between relative density, fracture strength, and elongation at break was analyzed by static tensile test. The fracture morphology of the sample was observed and compared with the simulation results, which indicated that the hexagonal planar porous structure achieved the best balance between structural lightweight and mechanical properties.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Reference

  1. D. Gu, X. Shi, R. Poprawe, D.L. Bourell, R. Setchi, and J. Zhu, Material-Structure-Performance Integrated Laser-Metal Additive Manufacturing, Science, 2021, 372(6545), p eabg1487.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Y. Lu, S. Su, S. Zhang, Y. Huang, Z. Qin, X. Lu, and W. Chen, Controllable Additive Manufacturing of Gradient Bulk Metallic Glass Composite with High Strength and Tensile Ductility, Acta Mater., 2021, 206, p 116632.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. G. Liu, X. Zhang, X. Chen, Y. He, L. Cheng, M. Huo, J. Yin, F. Hao, S. Chen, P. Wang, S. Yi, L. Wan, Z. Mao, Z. Chen, X. Wang, Z. Cao, and J. Lu, Additive Manufacturing of Structural Materials, Mater. Sci. Eng. R. Rep., 2021, 145, p 100596.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. M. Ouhsti, B. Haddadi, and B. Soufiane, Effect of Printing Parameters on the Mechanical Properties of Parts Fabricated with Open-Source 3D Printers in PLA by Fused Deposition Modeling, Mech. Mech. Eng., 2018, 22, p 895–907.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Y. Zhang, L. Wu, M. Zou, L. Zhang, and Y. Song, Suppressing the Step Effect of 3D Printing for Constructing Contact Lenses, Adv. Mater., 2022, 34(4), p 2270030.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. D. Ahn, L.M. Stevens, K. Zhou, and Z.A. Page, Additives for Ambient 3D Printing with Visible Light, Adv. Mater., 2021, 33(44), p 2104906.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. T. Xu, W. Shen, X. Lin, and Y.M. Xie, Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) Material Affected by Various Processing Parameters, Polymers, 2020, 12(12), p 3010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. J. Wang, B. Yang, X. Lin, L. Gao, T. Liu, Y. Lu, and R. Wang, Research of TPU Materials for 3D Printing Aiming at Non-Pneumatic Tires by FDM Method, Polymers, 2020, 12(11), p 2492.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Z. Jingwei, L. Jia, H. Chuhao, and C. Shuo, Study on Dynamic Viscoelastic Constitutive Model of Nonwater Reacted Polyurethane Grouting Materials Based on DMA, Rev. Adv. Mater. Sci., 2022, 61(1), p 238–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. S. Nathaphan and W. Trutassanawin, Effects of Process Parameters on Compressive Property of FDM with ABS, Rapid Prototyp. J., 2021, 27(5), p 905–917.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. S. Nair, S. Panda, A. Tripathi, and N. Neithalath, Relating Print Velocity and Extrusion Characteristics of 3D-Printable Cementitious Binders: Implications Towards Testing Methods, Addit. Manuf., 2021, 46, p 102127.

    Google Scholar 

  12. A. Gleadall, I. Ashcroft, and J. Segal, VOLCO: A predictive Model for 3D Printed Microarchitecture, Addit. Manuf., 2018, 21, p 605–618.

    Google Scholar 

  13. L. Ritzen, V. Montano, and S.J. Garcia, 3D Printing of a Self-Healing Thermoplastic Polyurethane through FDM: From Polymer Slab to Mechanical Assessment, Polymers, 2021, 13(2), p 305.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. E. Głowińska, O. Gotkiewicz, and P. Kosmela, Sustainable Strategy for Algae Biomass Waste Management via Development of Novel Bio-Based Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomers Composites, Molecules, 2023, 28(1), p 436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. A. Haryńska, I. Carayon, P. Kosmela, A. Brillowska-Dąbrowska, M. Łapiński, J. Kucińska-Lipka, and H. Janik, Processing of Polyester-Urethane Filament and Characterization of FFF 3D Printed Elastic Porous Structures with Potential in Cancellous Bone Tissue Engineering, Materials, 2020, 13(19), p 4457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. A. Georgopoulou, L. Egloff, B. Vanderborght, and F. Clemens, A Sensorized Soft Pneumatic Actuator Fabricated with Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing, Actuators, 2021, 10(5), p 102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. A. Bhat, S. Budholiya, S.A. Raj, M.T.H. Sultan, D. Hui, A.U.M. Shah, and S.N.A. Safri, Review on Nanocomposites Based on Aerospace Applications, Nanotechnol. Rev., 2021, 10(1), p 237–253.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. D.J.N. Amorim, T. Nachtigall, and M.B. Alonso, Exploring mechanical meta-material structures through personalised shoe sole design, in Proceedings of the 3rd Annual ACM Symposium on Computational Fabricationed. (Association for Computing Machinery, 2019), p. Article 2

  19. J. Podroužek, M. Marcon, K. Ninčević, and R. Wan-Wendner, Bio-Inspired 3D Infill Patterns for Additive Manufacturing and Structural Applications, Materials, 2019, 12(3), p 499.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Y. Wang, X. Ren, Z. Chen, Y. Jiang, X. Cao, S. Fang, T. Zhao, Y. Li, and D. Fang, Numerical and Experimental Studies on Compressive Behavior of Gyroid Lattice Cylindrical Shells, Mater. Des., 2020, 186, p 108340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. L. Rodríguez-Parada, S. de la Rosa, and P.F. Mayuet, Influence of 3D-Printed TPU Properties for the Design of Elastic Products, Polymers, 2021, 13(15), p 2519.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. M. Pagac, D. Schwarz, J. Petru, and S. Polzer, 3D Printed Polyurethane Exhibits Isotropic Elastic Behavior Despite its Anisotropic Surface, Rapid Prototyp. J., 2020, 26(8), p 1371–1378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. V. Beloshenko, Y. Beygelzimer, V. Chishko, B. Savchenko, N. Sova, D. Verbylo, A. Voznyak, and I. Vozniak, Mechanical Properties of Flexible TPU-Based 3D Printed Lattice Structures: Role of Lattice Cut Direction and Architecture, Polymers, 2021, 13(17), p 2986.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Y.B. Victor Beloshenko, V. Chishko, B. Savchenko, N. Sova, D. Verbylo, and I. Vozniak, Mechanical Properties of Thermoplastic Polyurethane-Based Three-Dimensional-Printed Lattice Structures: Role of Build Orientation, Loading Direction, and Filler, 3D Print. Addit. Manuf., 2023, 10(2), p 245–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. C. González, J.J. Vilatela, J.M. Molina-Aldareguía, C.S. Lopes, and J. Llorca, Structural Composites for Multifunctional Applications: Current Challenges and Future Trends, Prog. Mater Sci., 2017, 89, p 194–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. S. Yuan, S. Li, J. Zhu, and Y. Tang, Additive Manufacturing of Polymeric Composites from Material Processing to Structural Design, Compos. B Eng., 2021, 219, p 108903.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Y.G. Zhou, B. Su, and L.S. Turng, Deposition-Induced Effects of Isotactic Polypropylene and Polycarbonate Composites During Fused Deposition Modeling, Rapid Prototyp. J., 2017, 23(5), p 869–880.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. J. Tang, Y. Wu, S. Ma, T. Yan, and Z. Pan, Flexible Strain Sensor Based on CNT/TPU Composite Nanofiber Yarn for Smart Sports Bandage, Compos. B Eng., 2022, 232, p 109605.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Y. Luo, Y. Xie, W. Geng, J. Chu, H. Wu, D. Xie, X. Sheng, and Y. Mei, Boosting fire Safety and Mechanical Performance of Thermoplastic Polyurethane by the Face-to-Face Two-Dimensional Phosphorene/MXene Architecture, J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2022, 129, p 27–39.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. G. Sang, P. Xu, T. Yan, V. Murugadoss, N. Naik, Y. Ding, and Z. Guo, Interface Engineered Microcellular Magnetic Conductive Polyurethane Nanocomposite Foams for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding, Nano-Micro Lett., 2021, 13(1), p 153.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Y.-G. Zhou, J.-R. Zou, H.-H. Wu, and B.-P. Xu, Balance between Bonding and Deposition During Fused Deposition Modeling of Polycarbonate and Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Composites, Polym. Compos., 2020, 41(1), p 60–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. P. He, H. Lu, H. Ruan, C. Wang, Q. Zhang, Z. Huang, and J. Liu, Mechanochemistry: An Efficient Way to Recycle Thermoset Polyurethanes, Polymers, 2022, 14(16), p 3277.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. C. Bellis and M. Bonnet, A FEM-Based Topological Sensitivity Approach for Fast Qualitative Identification of Buried Cavities from Elastodynamic Overdetermined Boundary Data, Int. J. Solids Struct., 2010, 47(9), p 1221–1242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. V.S. Deshpande, M.F. Ashby, and N.A. Fleck, Foam Topology: Bending Versus Stretching Dominated Architectures, Acta Mater., 2001, 49(6), p 1035–1040.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. S. Zhao, H. Zhang, Y. Feng, and Y. Hang, Effect of Diffusion on Interfacial Properties of Polyurethane-Modified Asphalt–Aggregate Using Molecular Dynamic Simulation, Rev. Adv. Mater. Sci., 2022, 61(1), p 778–794.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. M. Mooney, A Theory of Large Elastic Deformation, J. Appl. Phys., 2004, 11(9), p 582–592.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. R.S. Rivlin and G.I. Taylor, Large Elastic Deformations of Isotropic Materials. I. Fundamental Concepts, Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. Math. Phys. Sci., 1948, 240(822), p 459–490.

    Google Scholar 

  38. M.D. Gajewski and M. Miecznikowski, Assessment of the Suitability of Elastomeric Bearings Modeling Using the Hyperelasticity and the Finite Element Method, Materials, 2021, 14(24), p 7665.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Z. Wei and S. Yang, An Elastic Model for Rubber-Like Materials Based on a Force-Equivalent Network, Eur. J. Mech. A/Solids, 2020, 84, p 104078.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. A. Gleadall, D. Visscher, J. Yang, D. Thomas, and J. Segal, Review of Additive Manufactured Tissue Engineering Scaffolds: Relationship Between Geometry and Performance. Burn. Trauma 6 (2018)

  41. H. Dou, W. Ye, D. Zhang, Y. Cheng, and C. Wu, Comparative Study on In-Plane Compression Properties of 3D Printed Continuous Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composite Honeycomb and Aluminum Alloy Honeycomb, Thin-Walled Struct., 2022, 176, p 109335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research is financially funded by the General Program from the Educational Commission of Liaoning Province of China (Grant No. LJKZ0500). We thank our research classmates for their valuable work and for providing experiment data, and the anonymous reviewers for their critiques and comments.

Funding

The research described here was supported by the General Program from the Educational Commission of Liaoning Province of China (Grant No. LJKZ0500).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian, 116028, China

    Hao Zhang, Xinying Wang, Liang Yang, Lu Feng & Yun Zhai

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, 70148, USA

    David Hui

Authors
  1. Hao Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xinying Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Liang Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lu Feng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. David Hui
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yun Zhai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

DH and YZ conceived the presented idea. HZ and XW wrote the manuscript. XW and LF carried out the experiments. LF and LY performed the finite element analysis. YZ revised the manuscript. All authors have discussed and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yun Zhai.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors state no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 1196 KB)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, H., Wang, X., Yang, L. et al. Structural Lightweight Design of Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elasticity Fabricated by Fused Deposition Modeling. J. of Materi Eng and Perform (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-023-08797-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-023-08797-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation