(435b) 3D Printing of Metal-Polymer Composite Structures Via Fused Deposition Modeling

This work demonstrates the ability to 3D print a fluoropolymer based energetic material that can be used as a structural reactive. The developed filament consists of a fluoropolymer binder (polyvinylidene fluoride, PVDF) with embedded aluminum particles. The filament can be printed with commercial 3D printers to create geometrically complex, three dimensional structures. The printing performance of the energetic filament was found to be comparable with standard 3D printing materials, such as ABS. The reactivity of the 3D printed energetic material was shown to be unaffected by the printing process, as determined by comparing the burning rates, as well as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) of the printed material with the unprinted filament. Quasi-static mechanical testing demonstrates this material’s strength and ability to function as a structural reactive. The original Al/PVDF material was shown to have a higher mechanical strength than PVDF alone. The metal content was also varied in order to obtain relationships between the energetic performance and mechanical strength based on the Al content in the material.