Exploration of the design freedom of 3D printed continuous fibre-reinforced polymers in open-hole tensile strength tests

Abstract In the current work, the design freedom of 3D printed composite parts reinforced with continuous fibres is explored. The placement of continuous fibres to reduce stress concentrations around the hole is exploited in open-hole tests. Distinct counterintuitive performance in tensile strength is observed. The expected gain in ultimate tensile strength by adding contour reinforcement around the hole could only be observed for a rectangular reinforcement. Digital Image Correlation monitoring of the strain pattern demonstrated promising performance in strain reduction and the ability to locate the damage patterns outside the regions prone to stress concentrations (i.e. the hole).