Impact behaviour and non destructive evaluation of 3D printed reinforced composites

The widespread additive manufacturing technology for producing components having complex geometries has increased the attention towards new reinforced materials, whose internal structure can be designed ad hoc on the required mechanical performance. Moreover, fused deposition modelling (FDM) technology allows the building of continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites. Due to this innovative technology, there is a lack of knowledge mainly about the impact behaviour of these materials, also considering that the main demand comes from the transportation field (automotive, aircraft, etc.), where the impact event is always possible. Thus, the aim of this research is the investigation of the impact behaviour of specimens obtained by continuous fiber fabrication technique, where Onyx and nylon white filaments were used as matrices and glass fibres for reinforcement. Onyx is a nylon mixed with short carbon fibres. An extensive non-destructive evaluation was performed on the specimens subjected to impact tests to assess the impact damage tolerance of these materials and to measure the damage extension as well. Nevertheless, considering that different non-destructive techniques were employed, the research aims also to suggest the most suitable and reliable technique to detect damage, mainly by on-site inspection.