Creep response of continuous fiber reinforced additive manufacturing parts: feasibility study of a Formula Student race car accelerator pedal

Additive manufacturing (AM) has revolutionized the manufacturing industry, enabling the production of complex geometries and customized components. To enhance the mechanical performance of AM parts, continuous fiber reinforcement has gained significant attention. This study investigates the creep behavior of continuous fiber-reinforced AM parts, focusing on understanding the time-dependent deformation characteristics under constant load. The research begins with an overview of composites materials and structures, and AM technologies capable of incorporating continuous fibers into printed structures, such as fused filament fabrication (FFF) with continuous carbon fibers. Mechanical testing is performed on thermoplastic and composite specimens to characterize their tensile and creep response under different loading conditions. The results reveal that the addition of continuous fibers significantly enhances the tensile strength of AM parts compared to their non-reinforced counterparts. The continuous fibers form load-bearing pathways within the printed structure, reducing the susceptibility to deformation. Furthermore, the type and orientation of continuous fibers are found to influence the mechanical properties. This study also explores the influence of processing parameters, such as fiber alignment, on the tensile performance of continuous fiber-reinforced AM parts respect to un-reinforced AM parts and describes the methodology implemented to compare the creep test results. The continuous fiber reinforced AM technique was employed to develope a feasibility study for a Formula SAE race car accelerator pedal taking into account weight reduction and improvement of mechanical properties at the most critical points. In conclusion, continuous fiber-reinforced additive manufacturing offers promising prospects for producing components with enhanced mechanical strength, making them suitable for applications in the automotive industry. The findings of this research contribute to a deeper understanding of the creep behavior of such composite materials and pave the way for optimizing the manufacturing process to achieve improved mechanical properties.