Abstract:

This talk will focus on recent advances in material extrusion additive manufacturing (AM) that enable the creation of new hybrid materials with novel core-shell micro/mesostructures. Specifically, the talk will begin with a brief introduction to AM of thermoset polymer materials that are amenable to formulation with a wide range of structural and functional filler materials. Next, the core-shell coextrusion print head will be described and motivated with a simple mechanics model. The development of syntactic foam and carbon fiber reinforced feedstocks to be used for the core-shell motif will also be described and the mechanical properties of printed core-shell hybrids materials will be investigated, with complementary microstructural analysis. Processing challenges will be highlighted, as will unique opportunities to employ the core-shell print head to create material gradients. The talk will conclude with a brief discussion of future research directions and opportunities for core-shell printing in new material systems and alternative application spaces.

Bio

Prof. Brett Compton is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Brett moved to UTK from Oak Ridge National Laboratory where he was a staff scientist in additive manufacturing (AM) at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF). The MDF is the Department of Energy’s flagship additive manufacturing center, and his research there included thermo-mechanical modeling of large-scale polymer composite AM and in situ thermal monitoring of metal powder bed systems. Prior to moving to Tennessee, Brett was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Lewis Group in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, where he developed materials and techniques to 3D print short fiber-reinforced epoxy resins to enable bio-inspired, lightweight polymer composites with controlled fiber orientation. Brett received his Ph.D. in Materials from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kentucky.

Current research activities include the development and study of thermoset feedstock materials for AM of lightweight composites, foams, and cellular structures; study of the effects the 3D printing process on properties of composites with anisotropic filler materials; and novel printing techniques to control microstructure and mesostructure in printed composites and cellular materials.