Validation of Temperature Effect on 3D Printed PLA Materials with Finite Element Analysis and Nonlinear hyper elastic Modeling

Additive Manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D printing, fabricates physical objects by successively adding layers of material. This technology is widely utilized for producing both metallic and non-metallic components. In particular, 3D printing has simplified the design, modification, and testing of non-metallic materials such as hyperelastic, thermoplastic, and rubber-like substances. However, accurate material modeling and validation are essential for analyzing these materials effectively. This study investigates the mechanical behavior of 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) under varying temperatures through numerical validation, complementing experimental analysis. Specimens were designed in SolidWorks according to ASTM D638 dimensional standards, with 100% infill density and a grid orientation angle of 0 degrees. The infill density and orientation angle significantly influence the mechanical properties of the specimens. The study focuses on three temperature conditions (20°C, 30°C, and 40°C) using a non-linear hyperelastic model (Neo Hookean, Mooney-rivlin 2 parameter, and Yeoh 3rd order). Results demonstrate that temperature variations impact PLA's mechanical behavior. All these models were identified as the suitable hyperelastic models for these conditions, with Neo-Hookean offering simplicity due to its single-parameter formulation. Additionally, a new equation was developed to estimate the model parameter of Neo Hookean for different temperature.