Research

Biocomposites: Experimentally Determined Directional Properties

Directional Properties of Biocomposites

3D printed Biocomposites have a ‘grain’! For our 2024 ACADIA Vanguard Award Paper we prepared and characterized 6 different Biocomposites that consisted of various natural fibers blended with Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, micro-cellulose fibers and water. During the printing process the fibers align themselves with the direction of the material flow, resulting in dry properties that vary depending on the direction to this ‘grain’ of the material.

Once 3D printed and dried the resulting Biocomposites material was tested in bending, compression and in tension. The chart above shows the results – more data is available in the paper:

Tish, D., Gan, A., Cabral, S., and Bechthold, M. 2024. “Toward a Digital Vernacular: Framework for Localized Biocomposite 3D-Printing with Natural Fibers.” Proceedings, ACADIA 2024.

Team

Dan Tish, Lecturer, Harvard GSD

Amelia Wen Jiun Gan, MDes Mediums ‘23, Harvard GSD, Irving Fellow ’24

Sophia Cabral, MDes Mediums ’25, Harvard GSD

Martin Bechthold, MaP+S Director, Prof. Academic Dean Harvard GSD

Funding: Industry Advisors of the Laboratory for Design Technologies, Advanced Composites