Three-Dimensionally Printed Polypropylene Sheets: Insights on Mechanical and Interface Shear Behavior
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35, Issue 9
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is replacing most of the conventional manufacturing processes of civil engineering materials because of the control that can be offered on the properties of the materials produced. 3D printing is particularly beneficial for printing polymeric geosynthetics, which are used in soils to perform various functions. Various controlling parameters that affect the strength and surface features of the printed geosynthetics are not understood so far. This study highlights the importance of various printing controls on the mechanical response of 3D-printed polypropylene (PP) sheets, which are close to geomembranes used for landfill liners and barrier systems. The number of layers used to achieve the thickness, speed of printing, and orientation of printing were varied, and the mechanical response of printed sheets were compared. The printed PP sheets were tested for tensile strength using strip tension tests and interface shear response with sand using direct shear tests. Results showed that speed of printing did not have a significant effect on the mechanical response of printed PP sheets. An increase in the number of layers for the same thickness caused an increase in tensile strength but decreased the interface shear strength. Orientation of printing is the major factor that influenced the mechanical response of the printed sheets among the parameters considered. Among the three printing orientations used, diagonal printing produced PP sheets of highest tensile strength and interface shear strength compared to horizontal and vertical printing. Sheets printed in the horizontal direction showed least tensile strength and interface shear strength. Reasons for these variations were investigated through image analysis to bring out important recommendations for 3D printing of PP sheets for geotechnical applications.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the SERB Core Research Grant of the Department of Science and Technology, India, for procuring the 3D printer used in the present study. The digital microscope used for the study was procured from the SERB POWER Fellowship.
References
Abu-Farsakh, M. Y., and J. Coronel. 2006. “Characterization of cohesive soil-geosynthetics interactions from large direct shear tests (No. 06-0651).” In Proc., of Transportation Research Board 85th Annual Meeting. Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board.
Adamidis, O., S. Alber, and I. Anastasopoulos. 2019. “Assessment of three-dimensional printing of granular media for geotechnical applications.” Geotech. Test. J. 43 (3). https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ20180259.
Ahmed, S. S., and A. Martinez. 2020. “Modeling the mechanical behavior of coarse-grained soil using additive manufactured particle analogs.” Acta Geotech. 15 (10): 2829–2847. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-020-01007-6.
Amurane, I., M. Zhang, T. Li, and H. Jiang. 2019. “Optimization of 3D printed geocells based on numerical simulation and experimental investigation.” In Vol. 233 of Proc., IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 032043. Bristol, UK: IOP Publishing.
Anubhav, and P. K. Basudhar. 2013. “Interface behavior of woven geotextile with rounded and angular particle sand.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 25 (12): 1970–1974. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0000774.
Arab, M. G., M. Omar, E. Alotaibi, O. Mostafa, M. Naeem, and O. Badr. 2020. “Bio-inspired 3D-printed honeycomb for soil reinforcement.” In Geo-Congress 2020: Biogeotechnics, Geotechnical Special Publication 320, edited by E. Kavazanjian, J. P. Hambleton, R. Makhnenko, and A. S. Budge, 262–271. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Arulrajah, A., M. A. Rahman, J. Piratheepan, M. W. Bo, and M. A. Imteaz. 2014. “Evaluation of interface shear strength properties of geogrid-reinforced construction and demolition materials using a modified large-scale direct shear testing apparatus.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 26 (5): 974–982. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0000897.
ASTM. 2004. Standard test method for direct shear test of soils under consolidated drained conditions. ASTM D3080. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International.
ASTM. 2016. Standard test methods for maximum index density and unit weight of soils using a vibratory table. ASTM D4253. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International.
ASTM. 2018. Standard test method for tensile properties of thin plastic sheeting. ASTM D882. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International.
Athanassiadis, A. G., M. Z. Miskin, P. Kaplan, N. Rodenberg, S. H. Lee, J. Merritt, and H. M. Jaeger. 2014. “Particle shape effects on the stress response of granular packings.” Soft Matter 10 (1): 48–59. https://doi.org/10.1039/C3SM52047A.
Boyle, S. R., M. Gallagher, and R. D. Holtz. 1996. “Influence of strain rate, specimen length and confinement on measured geotextile properties.” Geosynth. Int. 3 (2): 205–225. https://doi.org/10.1680/gein.3.0060.
Chalmovsky, J., P. Koudela, and L. Mica. 2020. “Reinforcing of sand with 3D printed fibres–review of properties, fabrication of fibres and initial testing programme.” In Vol. 960 of Proc., IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 032027. Bristol, UK: IOP Publishing.
Du, Y., H. Bao, P. Yin, C. Liu, Z. He, and X. Xu. 2022. “Study on the anisotropic shear strength of rough joint via 3D scanning, 3D printing, and 3D discrete-element modeling.” Int. J. Geomech. 22 (6): 04022058. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0002374.
Gibson, I., D. W. Rosen, B. Stucker, M. Khorasani, D. Rosen, B. Stucker, and M. Khorasani. 2021. Vol. 17 of Additive manufacturing technologies. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Gomez, J. S., R. J. Chalaturnyk, and G. Zambrano-Narvaez. 2019. “Experimental investigation of the mechanical behavior and permeability of 3D printed sandstone analogues under triaxial conditions.” Transp. Porous Media 129 (2): 541–557. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-018-1177-0.
Hamidi, A., and M. Hooresfand. 2013. “Effect of fiber reinforcement on triaxial shear behavior of cement treated sand.” Geotext. Geomembr. 36 (Feb): 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2012.10.005.
Hanaor, D. A. H., Y. Gan, M. Revay, D. W. Airey, and I. Einav. 2016. “3D printable geomaterials.” Géotechnique 66 (4): 323–332. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgeot.15.P.034.
Ingram, J., Y. Zhou, S. Jeelani, T. Lacy, and M. F. Horstemeyer. 2008. “Effect of strain rate on tensile behavior of polypropylene and carbon nanofiber filled polypropylene.” Mater. Sci. Eng., A 489 (1–2): 99–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2008.01.010.
Kittu, A., M. Watters, I. Cavarretta, and M. L. Bernhardt-Barry. 2019. “Characterization of additive manufactured particles for DEM validation studies.” Granular Matter 21 (3): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-019-0908-4.
Latha, G. M., and V. S. Murthy. 2007. “Effects of reinforcement form on the behavior of geosynthetic reinforced sand.” Geotext. Geomembr. 25 (1): 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2006.09.002.
Lee, K. M., and V. R. Manjunath. 2000. “Soil-geotextile interface friction by direct shear tests.” Can. Geotech. J. 37 (1): 238–252. https://doi.org/10.1139/t99-124.
Liu, C. N., Y. H. Ho, and J. W. Huang. 2009. “Large scale direct shear tests of soil/PET-yarn geogrid interfaces.” Geotext. Geomembr. 27 (1): 19–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2008.03.002.
Liu, X., and J. Yang. 2018. “Shear wave velocity in sand: Effect of grain shape.” Géotechnique 68 (8): 742–748. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgeot.17.T.011.
Makkar, F. M., S. Chandrakaran, and N. Sankar. 2019. “Experimental investigation of response of different granular soil–3D geogrid interfaces using large-scale direct shear tests.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 31 (4): 04019012. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002645.
Matsumura, S., T. Kobayashi, T. Mizutani, and R. J. Bathurst. 2017. “Manufacture of bonded granular soil using X-ray CT scanning and 3D printing.” Geotech. Test. J. 40 (6): 20160237. https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ20160273.
Miskin, M. Z., and H. M. Jaeger. 2013. “Adapting granular materials through artificial evolution.” Nat. Mater. 12 (4): 326–331. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3543.
Ozelim, L. C. D. S., and A. L. Cavalcante. 2019. “Combining microtomography, 3D printing, and numerical simulations to study scale effects on the permeability of porous media.” Int. J. Geomech. 19 (2): 04018194. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0001340.
Safa, M., A. Maleka, M. A. Arjomand, M. Khorami, and M. Shariati. 2019. “Strain rate effects on soil-geosynthetic interaction in fine-grained soil.” Geomech. Eng. 19 (6): 533–542. https://doi.org/10.12989/gae.2019.19.6.533.
Su, Y. F., S. J. Lee, and B. Sukumaran. 2020. “Influence of particle morphology simplification on the simulation of granular material behavior.” Granular Matter 22 (1): 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-019-0987-2.
Tuna, S. C., and S. Altun. 2012. “Mechanical behaviour of sand-geotextile interface.” Sci. Iran. 19 (4): 1044–1051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scient.2012.06.009.
Vaezi, M., H. Seitz, and S. Yang. 2013. “A review on 3D micro-additive manufacturing technologies.” Int. J. Adv. Manuf. Technol. 67 (5): 1721–1754. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-012-4605-2.
Wong, K. S., B. B. Broms, and B. Chandrasekaran. 1994. “Failure modes at model tests of a geotextile reinforced wall.” Geotext. Geomembr. 13 (6–7): 475–493. https://doi.org/10.1016/0266-1144(94)90009-4.
Wu, C., C. Chen, and C. Cheeseman. 2021. “Size effects on the mechanical properties of 3D printed plaster and PLA parts.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 33 (7): 04021152. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0003787.
Xu, M., D. Jin, and W. Zhou. 2022. “An experimental study on the time-dependent behavior of crushable granular materials using 3D-printed particles.” Acta Geotech. 17 (1): 93–104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-021-01232-7.
Yamamoto, A., S. Singprayoon, S. Nagasawa, and S. Chaijit. 2017. “Bending behavior of polypropylene sheet subjected to two-line wedge indentation.” Trans. on GIGAKU 4 (1): 1–19.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 21, 2022
Accepted: Jan 30, 2023
Published online: Jun 18, 2023
Published in print: Sep 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Nov 18, 2023
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- Aarya Krishna, Gail Madhavi Latha, Interface Shear Strength of Sand with 3D Printed Geocells, Geo-Congress 2024, 10.1061/9780784485323.042, (416-424), (2024).