Predicting the long-term viscoelastic response by short-term tests in polymers

Abstract Additive manufacturing, specifically Material EXtrusion (MEX) based 3-D printing technique in thermoplastic polymers, enables intricate geometries by depositing molten material out of a nozzle and building layer-upon-layer. By using sustainable thermoplastics, such as PolyLactic Acid (PLA)...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Reza Afshar, Nikhil Ebi, Bilen Emek Abali
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-07-01
Series:Discover Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-07468-2
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849761731830611968
author Reza Afshar
Nikhil Ebi
Bilen Emek Abali
author_facet Reza Afshar
Nikhil Ebi
Bilen Emek Abali
author_sort Reza Afshar
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Additive manufacturing, specifically Material EXtrusion (MEX) based 3-D printing technique in thermoplastic polymers, enables intricate geometries by depositing molten material out of a nozzle and building layer-upon-layer. By using sustainable thermoplastics, such as PolyLactic Acid (PLA) that generates less emission during production regarding conventional plastics, it is possible to produce parts with a smaller carbon footprint. However, the resulting anisotropic properties from this layered structure and unknown viscoelastic characteristics may introduce uncertainties in predicting the long-term mechanical performance of printed components. PLA is modeled as a linear elastic material, yet we emphasize that polymers may have a long relaxation time, hence, we conduct benchmark on significance of viscoelastic behavior and then model the response by exploiting the Time-Temperature Superposition (TTS) in order to predict viscoelastic response over a longer duration than measured. To model the viscoelastic behaviour, we use fractional time derivative. Then by using the inverse analysis, we obtain the best parameters, minimizing the error between the experiments and the predictive model. The determined parameters in the fractional Maxwell model, with the data of 16 h at three different temperatures, is then validated by predicting the response with an accuracy of ± 1% after 100 h.
format Article
id doaj-art-ee5d7df2c540453ebc2eec86759f9ffe
institution DOAJ
issn 3004-9261
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Springer
record_format Article
series Discover Applied Sciences
spelling doaj-art-ee5d7df2c540453ebc2eec86759f9ffe2025-08-20T03:05:55ZengSpringerDiscover Applied Sciences3004-92612025-07-017811410.1007/s42452-025-07468-2Predicting the long-term viscoelastic response by short-term tests in polymersReza Afshar0Nikhil Ebi1Bilen Emek Abali2Division of Applied Mechanics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Uppsala UniversityHitachi EnergyDivision of Applied Mechanics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Uppsala UniversityAbstract Additive manufacturing, specifically Material EXtrusion (MEX) based 3-D printing technique in thermoplastic polymers, enables intricate geometries by depositing molten material out of a nozzle and building layer-upon-layer. By using sustainable thermoplastics, such as PolyLactic Acid (PLA) that generates less emission during production regarding conventional plastics, it is possible to produce parts with a smaller carbon footprint. However, the resulting anisotropic properties from this layered structure and unknown viscoelastic characteristics may introduce uncertainties in predicting the long-term mechanical performance of printed components. PLA is modeled as a linear elastic material, yet we emphasize that polymers may have a long relaxation time, hence, we conduct benchmark on significance of viscoelastic behavior and then model the response by exploiting the Time-Temperature Superposition (TTS) in order to predict viscoelastic response over a longer duration than measured. To model the viscoelastic behaviour, we use fractional time derivative. Then by using the inverse analysis, we obtain the best parameters, minimizing the error between the experiments and the predictive model. The determined parameters in the fractional Maxwell model, with the data of 16 h at three different temperatures, is then validated by predicting the response with an accuracy of ± 1% after 100 h.https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-07468-23-D printingPLAViscoelasticityTime-temperature superpositionDigital image correlationFractional rheological models
spellingShingle Reza Afshar
Nikhil Ebi
Bilen Emek Abali
Predicting the long-term viscoelastic response by short-term tests in polymers
Discover Applied Sciences
3-D printing
PLA
Viscoelasticity
Time-temperature superposition
Digital image correlation
Fractional rheological models
title Predicting the long-term viscoelastic response by short-term tests in polymers
title_full Predicting the long-term viscoelastic response by short-term tests in polymers
title_fullStr Predicting the long-term viscoelastic response by short-term tests in polymers
title_full_unstemmed Predicting the long-term viscoelastic response by short-term tests in polymers
title_short Predicting the long-term viscoelastic response by short-term tests in polymers
title_sort predicting the long term viscoelastic response by short term tests in polymers
topic 3-D printing
PLA
Viscoelasticity
Time-temperature superposition
Digital image correlation
Fractional rheological models
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-07468-2
work_keys_str_mv AT rezaafshar predictingthelongtermviscoelasticresponsebyshorttermtestsinpolymers
AT nikhilebi predictingthelongtermviscoelasticresponsebyshorttermtestsinpolymers
AT bilenemekabali predictingthelongtermviscoelasticresponsebyshorttermtestsinpolymers