Effect of Processing Parameters on the Mechanical Behavior of 3D-Printed Basalt Moon Dust Reinforced Polylactic Acid Composites

Advanced composite materials and manufacturing technologies are critical to sustain human presence in space. Mechanical testing and analysis are needed to elucidate the effect of processing parameters on composites’ material properties. In this study, test specimens are 3D printed via a fused-filament fabrication (FFF) approach from a basalt moon dust-polylactic acid (BMD-PLA) composite filament and from pure PLA filament. Compression and tensile testing were conducted to determine the yield strength, ultimate strength, and Young’s modulus of specimens fabricated under several processing conditions. The maximum compressive yield strength for the BMD-reinforced samples is 27.68 MPa with print parameters of 100% infill, one shell, and 90° print orientation. The maximum compressive yield strength for the PLA samples is 63.05 MPa with print parameters of 100% infill, three shells, and 0° print orientation. The composite samples exhibit an increase in strength when layer lines are aligned with loading axis, whereas the PLA samples decreased in strength. This indicates a fundamental difference in how the composite behaves in comparison to the pure matrix material. In tension, test specimens have unpredictable failure modes and often broke outside the gauge length. A portion of the tension test data is included to help guide future work.