ABSTRACT This study investigates the low velocity impact behavior and underlying damage mechanisms of 3D printed acrylonitrile styrene acrylate reinforced with short glass fibers (ASA + GF) composites. Despite widespread use of glass fiber reinforced thermoplastics, the impact behavior of additively manufactured ASA + GF composites remains insufficiently studied. This study addresses this gap using drop weight impact testing combined with microscopic and profilometry analysis. The key novelty is identifying a transition in failure behavior from indentation dominated response at low impact energy to architecture‐controlled fracture at higher energy, governed by raster orientation. At 18 J impact energy, 0°/90° panels exhibited approximately 18% higher peak force compared to 45°/−45° panels, indicating superior resistance to initial penetration. In contrast, 45°/−45° panels showed approximately 32% greater maximum displacement and 35% higher energy dissipation, reflecting more progressive deformation behavior. Microscopic analysis of crack paths and fiber crack interactions demonstrated that in 0°/90° panels, fibers frequently intersected the crack plane, providing effective crack bridging and enhancing peak load capacity. In 45°/−45° panels, fibers were more aligned with the crack path, promoting shear driven interfacial sliding and fiber pullout, which dissipated energy over larger deformations. These observations establish a clear correlation between printing architecture, fiber alignment, and anisotropic fracture behavior.
Wickramasinghe et al. (Mon,) studied this question.