A rational utilization of reinforcement material for flexural design of 3D-printed composite beams

Recent developments in composite industry address the adaptation of 3D printing technology to overcome the design and manufacturing challenges of the traditional composite processing techniques. This adaptation can be performed with the development of design methodologies corresponding to the type of structural load-carrying members in a structure. Considering the frequently use of beams in structures, the development of the design methodology of beams is essential for the adaptation of the additive manufacturing. Therefore, in this paper, the flexural loading concept is analytically formulated to derive moment capacity for the flexural behavior of 3D-printed composite beams. Then, the formulation is adapted to develop a design methodology of 3D-printed laminates under flexural loading. Additionally, the analytical solutions developed for the design methodology presented in this paper were verified with a good agreement with experimental studies.