Advanced Manufacturing of Multifunctional Composites for Aerospace Applications

Additive manufacturing of innovative polymer-based materials with additions of metal-, carbon-, and ceramic- reinforcements offers significant opportunities for complex shaped, lightweight, multi-functional applications. However, the relatively new class of materials has not been fully evaluated to understand the effects of filament composition, particulate reinforcement distribution and structure, and print parameters on resulting microstructures and mechanical behaviors. Here, an overview of research capabilities and current work at NASA Glenn Research Center in multi-material additive manufacturing of ceramic and polymer composite components is provided. Developments for applications in battery thermal management, high-power density batteries, and turbine engine components are highlighted. Additionally, polylactic acid (PLA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) based composites with metal- and carbon- reinforcement are 3D printed and characterized by microscopy to evaluate trends between processing and porosity formation. Mechanical properties are evaluated through compression testing and process-structure-property insights are gained to help inform and optimize design for multifunctional applications.