Supriya R. Tambe,
Ravindra R. Navthar,
- Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil College of Engineering, Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra, India
- Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil College of Engineering, Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra, India
Abstract
This research evaluates how fused deposition modeling (FDM) fabrication process parameters affect the compressive behavior of tetrachiral auxetic structures created from Polylactic Acid (PLA). Auxetic materials have several useful properties, including reversible deformation and high-energy absorbing capabilities, which are beneficial to creating ultra-lightweight structural, protective, and shock-resistance designs. Among the available auxetic topologies, the tetrachiral configuration is particularly attractive for engineering use, because its rotation-dominated node–ligament deformation gives a negative Poisson’s ratio that remains stable over a wide strain range, its four-fold symmetry gives a nearly isotropic in-plane response suited to sandwich cores under poorly defined loading, and its long compressive plateau prior to densification favors efficient energy absorption. Three key FDM process-parameters – layer thickness, raster width and printing speed – were selected to evaluate their effects on compressive strength, stiffness and specific energy absorption (SEA). The experimental design was developed using the Taguchi method with an L9 orthogonal array, enabling efficient investigation of multiple process variables while reducing the number of experimental trials. Nine tetrachiral PLA specimens were fabricated under different combinations of processing conditions and subjected to quasi-static uniaxial compression testing in accordance with ASTM C365. The experimental results were analyzed using signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios to determine the optimal parameter combinations, while analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to quantify the statistical significance and relative contribution of each process parameter. The findings reveal that layer thickness is the most influential parameter affecting all three mechanical responses, whereas raster width and printing speed demonstrate comparatively smaller but appreciable effects. Overall, reductions in layer thickness and increases in raster width improved the compressive behavior of the fabricated structures. The minimum layer thickness of 0.15 mm consistently produced the highest compressive strength, stiffness and SEA because of enhanced interlayer bonding and reduced internal defects. These findings provide valuable practical guidance for optimizing FDM parameters and manufacturing tetrachiral auxetic structures with improved load-bearing capacity, structural rigidity and energy-absorption performance.
Keywords: Compressive strength, fused deposition modeling, layer height, raster width, printing speed
[This article belongs to Journal of Polymer & Composites ]
References
1. Joseph A, Mahesh V, Harursampath D. On the application of additive manufacturing methods for auxetic structures: A review. Adv Manuf. 2021;9(3):342–368.
2. Teraiya S, Vyavahare S, Kumar S. Anti-tetrachiral auxetic structures fabricated by material extrusion: Numerical and experimental investigation on the influence of design parameters on mechanical properties under compressive loading. Int J Mater Eng Innov. 2024;15(1):33–65.
3. Kumar S, Vyavahare S, Teraiya S, Dhakar LC. Experimental investigation on FDM fabricated tetra chiral auxetic structures under uniaxial compressive loading. In: Dave HK, Davim JP, editors. Fused Deposition Modeling Based 3D Printing. Cham, Switzerland: Springer; 2021. p. 63–83.
4. Yu X, Zhou J, Liang H, Jiang Z, Wu L. Mechanical metamaterials associated with stiffness, rigidity and compressibility: A brief review. Prog Mater Sci. 2018;94:114–173.
5. Seepersad CC, Kumar RS, Allen JK, Mistree F, McDowell DL. Multifunctional design of prismatic cellular materials. J Comput Aided Mater Des. 2004;11(2–3):163–181.
6. Alomarah A, Masood SH, Sbarski I, Faisal B, Gao Z, Ruan D. Compressive properties of 3D printed auxetic structures: Experimental and numerical studies. Virtual Phys Prototyp. 2020;15(1):1–21.
7. Vanaei H, Shirinbayan M, Deligant M, Raissi K, Fitoussi J, Khelladi S, et al. Influence of process parameters on thermal and mechanical properties of polylactic acid fabricated by fused filament fabrication. Polym Eng Sci. 2020;60(8):1822–1831.
8. Lee BH, Abdullah J, Khan ZA. Optimization of rapid prototyping parameters for production of flexible ABS object. J Mater Process Technol. 2005;169(1):54–61.
9. Wu W, Geng P, Li G, Zhao D, Zhang H, Zhao J. Influence of layer thickness and raster angle on the mechanical properties of 3D-printed PEEK and a comparative mechanical study between PEEK and ABS. Materials. 2015;8(9):5834–5846.
10. Mohamed OA, Masood SH, Bhowmik JL. Optimization of fused deposition modeling process parameters: A review of current research and future prospects. Adv Manuf. 2015;3(1):42–53.
11. Vyavahare S, Kumar S. Numerical and experimental investigation of FDM fabricated re-entrant auxetic structures of ABS and PLA materials under compressive loading. Rapid Prototyp J. 2021;27(2):223–244.
12. Montalti A, Ferretti P, Santi GM. A cost-effective approach for quality control in PLA-based material extrusion 3D printing using 3D scanning. J Ind Inf Integr. 2024;41:100660.
13. Sobih M, Elseddig Z, Almazy K, Youssef A, Sallam M. Optimization of EBW parameters for 2219 Al-alloy using grey relation method. Adv Mater Res. 2012;591–593:507–514.
14. Vyavahare S, Kumar S. Re-entrant auxetic structures fabricated by fused deposition modeling: An experimental study of influence of process parameters under compressive loading. Polym Eng Sci. 2020;60(12):3183–3196.
Journal of Polymer & Composites
| Volume | 14 | |
| Issue | 05 | |
| Received | 09/07/2026 | |
| Accepted | 22/07/2026 | |
| Published | 02/08/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 24 Days |