Strategic Toolpath Planning for Enhancing Mechanical Performance and Quality in Additively Manufactured Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Composite Structures

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dc.contributor.advisorGoldsmith, Peter
dc.contributor.authorTawfik, Hussam Mohamed Salah
dc.contributor.committeememberEpstein, Marcelo
dc.contributor.committeememberXue, Deyi
dc.contributor.committeememberSudak, Les Jozef
dc.contributor.committeememberAbdin, Yasmine
dc.date2025-02
dc.date.accessioned2024-12-18T20:40:04Z
dc.date.available2024-12-18T20:40:04Z
dc.date.issued2024-12-16
dc.description.abstractThe demand for lightweight, high-strength materials has intensified with the evolving needs of industries such as aerospace, automotive, and renewable energy. These sectors continually push material performance limits to develop lighter, more resilient, and energy-efficient structures. Additive manufacturing offers substantial design flexibility, enabling the production of high-performance structures tailored to specific strength requirements. However, additive manufacturing (AM) of continuous fiber-reinforced polymer composites (cFRPCs) faces core challenges in terms of manufacturability, toolpath planning, and design conception compared to the well-established conventional 3D printing using neat polymer. This thesis explores and integrates advanced toolpath planning strategies to improve the mechanical performance and manufacturing quality of additively manufactured cFRPCs. These strategies address critical challenges such as maintaining fiber continuity through structures along load paths, fiber steering, and ensuring accurate deposition on complex three-dimensional geometries with precise speed and temperature control. The first strategy implements an open-source, user-friendly synchronization framework that enables continuous fiber extrusion on both planar and non-planar surfaces using multi-axis machinery, such as commercial ABB robots. This framework provides flexible control over printing speed and extrusion rates, precisely coordinated with robotic movements. The second strategy, Multi-Layer Continuous Fibre Path (ML-CFP), enhances fiber utilization by reducing cut points and allowing fiber continuity across layers, a significant improvement over conventional layer-by-layer methods. Strategic Cut Point Placement (SCPP), supported by stress analysis, optimizes cut locations in regions with minimal tensile stress, thereby increasing the tensile strength and fracture work by up to 46\% and 100\%, respectively. Compression molding further consolidates interlayer bonding, reducing void content and enhancing interlaminar adhesion. The third strategy addresses fibre steering challenges. The Maneuverability-based Speed and Temperature Adaptive Robotic Control (M-STARC) method employs adaptive control of printing speed and the corresponding deposition nozzle temperature, adjusting them based on the complexity of robotic joint movements along steered paths. By analyzing joint maneuverability, this method reduces abrupt robot joint accelerations that may disrupt printing, thus maintaining precise deposition height and minimizing fiber damage. A system of heat transfer equations is solved for composite filaments during deposition so that the nozzle temperature can be adjusted for variable printing speeds. Collectively, these toolpath strategies advance AM for cFRPCs, providing a robust foundation for producing mechanically resilient and geometrically complex structures.
dc.identifier.citationTawfik, H. (2024). Strategic toolpath planning for enhancing mechanical performance and quality in additively manufactured continuous fiber-reinforced composite structures (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1880/120236
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisher.facultySchulich School of Engineering
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgary
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectLightweight
dc.subjectAdditive manufacturing (AM)
dc.subjectContinuous fiber-reinforced polymer composites (cFRPCs)
dc.subjectManufacturing
dc.subjectMulti-Layer Continuous Fibre Path (ML-CFP)
dc.subjectStrategic Cut Point Placement (SCPP)
dc.subjectManeuverability-based Speed and Temperature Adaptive Robotic Control (M-STARC)
dc.subjectABB robots
dc.subjectMechanical performance
dc.subjectToolpath planning
dc.subjectRobotics
dc.subjectOpen-source Synchronization framework
dc.subjectMulti-axis machinery
dc.subjectTemperature control
dc.subjectSpeed control
dc.subjectThermal analysis
dc.subjectFibre steering
dc.subject.classificationEngineering--Mechanical
dc.subject.classificationRobotics
dc.subject.classificationEngineering--Industrial
dc.subject.classificationPlastics Technology
dc.subject.classificationMaterials Science
dc.subject.classificationChemistry--Polymer
dc.titleStrategic Toolpath Planning for Enhancing Mechanical Performance and Quality in Additively Manufactured Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Composite Structures
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineEngineering – Mechanical & Manufacturing
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudentI do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.
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