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Mit C. Patel,
Kapil Banker,
Anandkumar K. Patel,
Krunalkumar P. Modi,
Kapil Surani,
Dhaval Patel,
- Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Silver Oak University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Government Engineering College, Palanpur, Gujarat, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Government Engineering College, Palanpur, Gujarat, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Government Engineering College, Palanpur, Gujarat, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Gujarat Technological University – Institute of Technology & Research, Mehsana, Gujarat, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, L D College of Engineering, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Abstract
The use of bio-based polymer composites in additive manufacturing is becoming more and more attractive, but their mechanical properties are very sensitive to the loading of reinforcement, the orientation of the raster and defects of the printing process. In this study, the mechanical properties of PLA–bagasse composites produced by material extrusion were studied, focusing on the influence of the reinforcement fraction and the deposition structure. The composites were tested with 0, 5, 10 and 15 wt.% bagasse and at three different raster orientations (0°, 45° and 90°). The tensile, flexural and impact properties were evaluated along with the density, void fraction and factorial statistical analysis. The formulation of 10 wt. % bagasse printed at 0° gave the best overall balance. The tensile strength, flexural strength, tensile modulus and flexural modulus were enhanced by 14.75%, 11.04%, 10.98% and 12.68% respectively when compared to neat PLA. When the void content was increased, the stiffness was still high at 15 wt.%, but the strength was decreased. The same trend was observed for the impact resistance, which decreased as the reinforcement increased, suggesting a stiffness–toughness trade-off. All major mechanical responses were greatly influenced by the orientation of the raster. The results validate the optimization of process–structure–property of mechanically functional bio-based additively manufactured composites.
Keywords: Additive manufacturing, Bio-based polymer composites, PLA–bagasse, Mechanical characterization, Process–structure–property relationship.
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Journal of Polymer & Composites
| Volume | 14 | |
| 04 | ||
| Received | 20/08/2026 | |
| Accepted | 12/09/2026 | |
| Published | 15/09/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 26 Days |