Strength prediction in single beads of large area additive manufactured short‐fiber polymers

Abstract The use of fiber reinforcement in large area additive manufactured components is of industrial interest due to the ability to enhance the structural properties of final processed parts. This work presents a methodology to predict the tensile, compressive, and flexural yield strength of single beads of a large‐scale, 3D printed, short‐fiber reinforced material. The methodology is built on the strength theory of Van Hattum and Bernardo, which combines the Tsai‐Wu failure criteria with Advani and Tucker's orientation averaging technique, allowing fiber orientation flow model results to serve as direct input into strength predictions. Visual advantages of the methodology such as the ability to plot spatially varying strength constants and failure plots are demonstrated. In addition, an analysis of the methodology's sensitivity to various parameters is conducted.