ItemArticle

Air Jet Erosion Behavior of FDM-Printed PLA Composites Reinforced With Steel Powder Fillers

Title
Air Jet Erosion Behavior of FDM-Printed PLA Composites Reinforced With Steel Powder Fillers
Creator
Pradeep Kumar, Gunderi Siddeshwara; Keshavamurthy, Ramiah; Selvan, Chithirai Pon; Advaith, A.; Shashi Kumar, M.E.; Lakshmikanthan, Avinash
Description
This paper reports the air jet erosion behavior of FDM-printed polylactic acid (PLA) composites reinforced with 5 wt% and 10 wt% steel powder for solving the problem of the development of durable, sustainable, and high-performance materials for engineering applications. Test specimens were fabricated by fused deposition method with uniform dispersion of steel particles based on a twin-screw extrusion and were tested using ASTM G76 air jet erosion with angular Al2O3 particles as erodent at impact angles of 30, 60, and 90. For the material loss, pure PLA showed the maximum material loss, while steel filled composite showed significantly reduced erosion (2.38% and 14.29%, 8.16% and 18.37%, and 16.07% and 26% at 30, 60 and 90, respectively) and showed the durability of the materials and their material effective utilization. The presence of embedded steel particles was verified by SEM and confocal microscopy showing that the embedded steel particles really acted as crack stoppers, diverted the crack propagation, minimized plowing and crater formation, and improved the toughness, thus extended the potential service life and supported resource-efficient engineering solutions. Among all the compositions, the 10 wt% composite showed a better erosion resistance and the smoothest post-erosion surface owing to a higher particle density with efficiency of stress transfer. Overall, steel reinforcement significantly enhanced the erosion resistance, especially in normal impact conditions and confirmed steel-filled PLA as a suitable material for components in harsh erosive environments. 2026 The Author(s). Engineering Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Source
Engineering Reports;Volume;8;Issue;5;Article No.;e70780;
Date
01-01-2026
Publisher
John Wiley and Sons Inc
Subject
additive manufacturing; durable engineering materials; erosion-resistant materials; high-performance PLA composites; sustainable polymer composites
Coverage
Pradeep Kumar G.S., Department of Mechanical Engineering, CHRIST University, Bengaluru, India; Keshavamurthy R., Department of Mechanical Engineering, CHRIST University, Bengaluru, India; Selvan C.P., School of Science and Engineering, Curtin University Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Advaith A., Department of Mechanical Engineering, CHRIST University, Bengaluru, India; Shashi Kumar M.E., Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amrita School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Bengaluru, India; Lakshmikanthan A., Nitte (Deemed to be University), Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology (NMIT), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bengaluru, India, Research Fellow of INTI International University, Persiaran Perdana BBN, Nilai, Malaysia
Rights
All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access
Relation
ISSN: 25778196;
Format
online
Language
English
Type
Article

Citation

Pradeep Kumar, Gunderi Siddeshwara; Keshavamurthy, Ramiah; Selvan, Chithirai Pon; Advaith, A.; Shashi Kumar, M.E.; Lakshmikanthan, Avinash, “Air Jet Erosion Behavior of FDM-Printed PLA Composites Reinforced With Steel Powder Fillers,” CHRIST (Deemed To Be University) Institutional Repository, accessed June 18, 2026, https://archives.christuniversity.in/items/show/21770.

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